Attract
by Team Ninja Bug
Summary: Another addition in the Evolution Series. Sokudo the Ninjask gets the bright idea to try and hook his Shedinja brother up with a girlfriend, in an effort to get rid of it without breaking any of his promises. But how the hell do you get a gender-less and hostile bug shell to even consider romance?
1. Chapter 1: Idea

**Title: **Attract  
**Rating: **T, mostly for Language  
**Genre:** Undecided  
**Summary: **Sokudo discovers a way that just might free him from Kowai: a girlfriend. But will it even work on a demented Shedinja? Sokudo's willing to take the risk to find out.  
**Author's Comment: **This one's inspired from a meme on deviantART. I'll link my entry for that meme on my profile when I submit it, so if you want, keep an eye for it. This story will also be quite a bit slower on the update than usual, at least for the next chapter, so be patient as there's a reason for it. :) I just wanted to submit this chapter to give my readers something in the meanwhile! And if the delay takes too long, I'll put this on _temporary_ hold and work on other entries until progress can resume.

* * *

Chapter 1: Idea

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous," Sokudo hisses sourly as he flies towards the Rogue Headquarters, Kowai following closely behind. "They keep moving the Task Board, then wonder why nobody can ever find it!"

"Maybe they're testing us," Kowai suggests in its usual child-like voice. "Like a game!"

Unlike its Ninjask counterpart, Kowai isn't frustrated by the frequent changes in location of the Task Board. Really, it couldn't care less about their job; it only wants to spend time with its brother and please him by 'pulling its weight'. And as long as it's in Sokudo's company, it's generally having a good day, regardless of how foul his mood might be.

"If it is just a fuckin' game," Sokudo starts, crossing his arms. "Then someone's gonna pay for wasting my time." There is a moment where silence comes between them, but then a soft dark-sounding purr emerges from the Shedinja behind him and he quickly adds with emphasis. "And by 'pay', I don't mean 'you-eating-their-souls', you psycho."

"If you say so, brother." Kowai whispers in a tone dripping with blood-lust, earning a chill from its sibling as Sokudo glances back at it uneasily before putting a few more feet between them. Focusing his eyes back to their destination, he looks up at the building before him. It is small compared to the other buildings of the village, and built in the image of a Spiritomb's Odd Keystone. He glances back at his shed to see it turning away a bit, as if reluctant to look at the structure.

It always does that when they come here, as if it's nervous of the place's appearance. He had attempted to ask several times about what exactly was making it uncomfortable, but Kowai never really gave him an answer, or at least a straight one.

Whatever, it isn't important right now and he opens the door for his shed, the husk eagerly entering so as not to look at the building's outward resemblance any longer. Entering himself, he glares around automatically for the Task Board. But it is nowhere in sight and he rolls his eyes before looking to Kowai, who is very distracted as it explores the place for the hundredth time. "Hey, pay attention, freak."

Hearing this, Kowai immediately turns back to its brother before hurrying over to him. "Yes, brother?"

"Look for that stupid Task Board," he orders it. "I gotta talk to Gunpowder about this."

"Okay!" it chirps before going off to make itself useful, hoping to earn its brother's praise.

"Don't break anything!" the Ninjask calls after it before flying towards his leader's desk. Landing on Gunpowder's paperwork, he glares at the larger Pokemon angrily. "Are you leaders trying to make our lives more difficult?"

"Actually, matey, that be Callahan's job," the Gabite tells him before pushing him off the papers and onto a more suitable spot on his desk. "Now, what can this ol' pirate be doin' fer ya?"

"Well, it'll help if you stop moving the Task Board around," Sokudo snaps at him. "Honestly, how are we supposed to do anything if we can't even find out what the fuckin' jobs are?!"

"The Task Board?" For a moment, Gunpowder looks confused before a spark comes to his eyes. "Ah, yes. I do believe we decided to move it here, fer now. But I'll be damned if I can remember where..."

"Of course..." The Ninjask rolls his eyes again, having a feeling his leader is messing with him on purpose. But he says nothing as he flies off the desk to scan the nearby boards and posters for his desired target. There's one for the menus and offers of the local restaurants, an advert for Barty's Bluff, a long and growing list of the team members, and another for...

"What's this?" Sokudo asks as he stares at a heart-shaped bulletin board he's never seen or noticed before. It is covered in multiple ads of Pokemon, of any team, any Guild, and any species. Scanning them, he sees that they are requests for... love-interests? Somehow, he never thought he'd find something like this here.

"Oh, that there be the Datin' Board," Gunpowder answers before smirking. "You interested?"

"You kiddin'," Sokudo answers with a huff, looking at the Gabite like he's crazy. "If I bring a girl over for even a One Night Stand, Kowai will have both our heads on a platter by morning!" He isn't sure if that'll be true but seeing how clingy and possessive the Shedinja is, it won't surprise him. Although... Looking at the board in contemplation, his mind begins working on an idea and he can't help but ask. "Hey, Gun. You think Shedinja feel love?"

"To be sure, matey," Gunpowder replies. "Yer brother certainly loves ya."

"I mean romantically." Sokudo rephrases with a slight hint of irritation.

At this, the dragon hesitates, clearly uncertain of the answer. After a moment, he shrugs. "Can't tell ya, matey. As far as I can tell, Shed's can't be havin' any eggs, so..."

"Well, there's more to a relationship than having eggs," Sokudo points out, glancing back to the Dating Board.

"True." Gunpowder agrees. "Maybe it could happen, who knows." He grins again. "You intending to find out?"

"Most definitely," Sokudo mutters, having way more than mere curiosity in mind as he takes a blank form and stashes it in his item bag. Glancing about, he takes a deep breath. "KOWAI! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Over here, brother!" comes the husk's chirpy voice from another room, followed by a loud crash of something large and heavy breaking. "I found it!"

"Whatever it broke, I'm not paying for it..." Sokudo grumbles before flying off in the direction of his shed. "Goddamn it, Kowai! I can't take you anywhere!"

"Sorry."

"You keep saying 'sorry', but I doubt you ever mean it most of the time."

"No, I don't."

Arriving at the scene, he sees the Shedinja hovering by the Task Board innocently, purring proudly at its accomplishment of finding said board despite the large shelf laying broken on the ground next to it. Shaking his head, Sokudo flies over to his brother, giving it a reprimanding swipe on the head despite his claw bouncing off harmlessly due to Kowai's Wonder Guard. In fact, the Shedinja purrs even louder at the contact, despite the ill will behind it.

Sokudo glares at it for having such a reaction before tearing off some of the Task papers and stuffing those into the item bag as well. Turning away, he begins flying for the door, his shed following cheerfully as it remains blissfully unaware of its brother's plan.

* * *

Sitting himself down by his desk in his room, Sokudo rummages through his bag before pulling out the dating application. Taking out his pen, he begins filling it out intently.

_"Name: Kowai_

_Gender:"_

He hesitates a bit, staring at the male and female symbol next to the word. Despite the shed insisting on being his brother, he still sees it as the gender-less creature it is, and the Shedinja certainly doesn't seem bothered by it. He eventually shrugs to himself before putting a question mark over the symbols before continuing on.

_"Searching for a wonderful: Girl_

_Must be a:"_

The Ninjask taps his pen against the desk in thought, wondering just what he should put down. Several points battle in his head and after a few minutes, he eventually decides and chooses the top three.

_"-Bug or Ghost-type_

_-Cuddler"_

That one certainly feels important to list, considering how dangerous the Shedinja can get when deprived of its daily snuggles with him. And speaking of importance, he adds to the list his primary reason for bothering to do this in the first place.

_"-Pokemon who can keep it AWAY FROM ME!"_

He swipes the pen across the paper to underline the words with further emphasis. He wants to make sure there are no misunderstandings with this, and to ensure that, he pulls out a piece of paper and uses it to go into greater detail, the words coming in a smooth flow.

_"Hey, ladies, this is Sokudo the Ninjask speaking! Listen, I'm trying to get rid of my brother and this seems like a subtle way to do it without breaking our agreements and whatnot! Just don't tell it that I'm behind all this, alright? It'll kill me if it finds out this is some plot to get it out of my life (no, seriously, it'll KILL me D: )." _

He shudders involuntarily, his memories going back to the night Kowai nearly murdered him. Yes, the Shedinja swore not to hurt him, but that promise might be rendered void with this little stunt. Should he really be doing this? He glances at the door, having some second thoughts now that he thinks about it. Well, if Kowai does find out about this and choose to attack him for it, he can Aerial Ace it and fly off. Or kill it himself... No, he's no murderer and although he feels little to no attachment to his shed at this current point in time, he knows he can't play a direct hand in its death.

Discarding those thoughts quickly, he turns his attention to the paper, ignoring the bells still going off in his head.

_"Its name is Kowai, and although gender-less, I want it to be with a girl, 'cause... y'know... I'm a guy and it's my shed. Anyway, I personally don't care who steps forward, but I think you'll have a much better chance of socializing with it if you are the same type (especially if you're a Ghost, so it won't see you as Soul Food) . Yeah, it doesn't like people in general, so expect some resistance from it."_

_'Some'... what an understatement,_ he thinks to himself before shaking his head.

_"It's obsessed with cuddles and although I doubt it'll cuddle with you at first, I also feel that once it's used to you, it'll cuddle you as often as it cuddles me (about twice a day or more) . And most importantly: KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME! I'm trying to escape here and I need your help to do that! You don't even have to truly like it, just pretend for a while! Keep it busy, I don't care how, just do it! It'll resist, but keep persisting! My life could be on the line here!"_

Hopefully, that drives the point home. It might scare away some potential volunteers, but he doesn't care. Surely there has to be someone brave enough to take the job, and that's his target demographic.

_"Personality-wise, it's got this child-like innocence and curiosity to it; this is its first time out of the Spirit World apparently and being a naive, asexual creature, you'll probably have to teach it the ways of romance. No worries though, it's a very fast-learner. But be warned: DON'T get it mad! Just trust me when I say that you don't wanna do that, unless of course you can defend yourself with an attack that'll bypass its Wonder Guard. _

_And don't be too freaked out about the black mist coming out of its back. It's some kind of energy that feels very cold to touch and it'll grab you to steal your soul if you look into the hole it emerges from, but other than that, it's just... there... Kowai refuses to tell me more, but maybe you'll have better luck!_

_Yeah, this whole thing's a long shot, but I'm getting desperate. Take it away from me and I'll be in your debt! Anything you want, I'll do my best to make it happen, just do me this favor! Anyone interested can meet with me at Spinda Cafe, we'll talk._

_Peace Out,_  
_-Sokudo- "_

That should be good. Proof-reading his entry, he looks back at the application and stares at the blank dotted square, obviously for a photo of the applying Pokemon. That could be tricky, but maybe he can pull it off. He just hopes Kowai won't ask too many questions. Putting the papers in the bag and taking a camera in his claws, he flies out of the room and looks about for his brother. But the Shedinja is nowhere in sight.

Narrowing his eyes and immediately on his guard, he scans all its favorite places in the house to find no trace of it. Tense, he wonders and hopes that it's just outside and he goes to the door to check the perimeter. Swinging it open, he jerks back in startlement as the husk floats there in front of him silently. Immediately, his heart skips a beat and he can't stop his voice from shaking.

"W-What're y-you doing out here?" he asks.

"Eating," the Shedinja answers flatly and Sokudo takes note of a Patrat's body a few yards behind Kowai. He grimaces a bit before forcing his eyes away and getting himself to calm down. For a moment there, he thought the husk was onto him. Thank goodness that didn't seem to be the case, although the ghost did seem rather suspicious of his nervous demeanor. "Where're you going, brother?"

"Well, I'm probably about to go back to Headquarters," he informs it, his mind working for an excuse. "I need to ask Gunpowder about some of the Tasks."

"Take me with you." Kowai continues, its voice still without any particular tone. Immediately, he shakes his head.

"No, Kowai. I want to get this done quickly, before it gets too dark. I'll be back in few minutes, so just relax. If you're good, I'll give you a Cuddle Session," he tells it, flying around it slowly, Kowai turning to keep staring at him. He is about to take off when he remembers the entire reason why he was looking for his shed in the first place and he spins back around to face it. "Hold still for a second."

Before the ghost could question, he lifts the camera to his face and pushes the button. The Shedinja flinches with a hiss at the bright light, and starts to growl as the camera noisily prints out the photo. Taking the picture, Sokudo looks at it, hoping it isn't blurred from Kowai's startled movement. But luckily, it is clear and he wastes no more time before heading off, disappearing from sight.

Leaving the Shedinja still growling...


	2. Chapter 2: Volunteer

**Author's Comment: **This was submitted a lot faster than I originally thought as I expected things in my life to be against me when writing this chapter, but I'm not complaining! Thanks to my reviewers, fav-ers (is that a word now that I used it :P ), and alerters!

It's awesome to see ya again, **calius**! Good to see you're so enthusiastic about my stories! No worries, there's plenty to go! ;)

Yes,** ASiriusWriter**, fear where this story's going! :D It's great that I still have my touch in portraying Sokudo's view of these situations, and why he acts the way he does! And you can most certainly expect a fight outta Kowai here! But sometimes, it takes a crazy plan for a crazy person!

* * *

Chapter 2: Volunteer

When Sokudo posted that app, he didn't really expect anyone to actually respond. Who in their right mind would want to help him out, by gaining the attentions of some psycho bug shell? And yet there it is, clear as day, a responding letter pinned over his application. Luckily, Kowai isn't here to see this as he was smart enough to make it stay at home while he ran more 'errands'. Taking the paper in his claws, he eagerly reads through it.

_"Dear Sokudo,_

_ My name is Yams, the Yamask of the Rescuer's Team Lonely Balloon. I was passing by looking for the Task Board (tell me I'm not the only one getting irritated about that...), and I couldn't help but notice your predicament on the Dating Board. My team-mate, Luft the Drifloon, prompted me to help and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm available to meet at Spinda Cafe at noon today. Or if you're reading this any other time, be there that evening, as it's my favorite place to end the day._

_I hope you don't have any trouble with your brother until then._

_Signed,_

_-Yams-"_

The Ninjask is still in disbelief. He actually has a chance with this. Unable to keep back a soft chuckle, he glances at the clock. One more minute till noon. He can make it easily. Within an instant, he is out of the Rogue building and right outside Spinda Cafe. Looking up at the building, it's true to its name: a dome decorated and built to resemble a Spinda's head. He glances around before slipping inside and taking a look.

It isn't too crowded; usually the activity doesn't occur until later in the day. There are round tables spaced all across the floor, with a long counter lining the left-hand wall and a stage just across the way. Scanning the other Pokemon, he sees Vertigo, the cafe's Spinda owner, speaking to a Drifloon. The balloon's presence seems promising, now where is-

"Excuse me, Mr. Ninjask, sir." He turns to see a Yamask floating over to him. "Are you Sokudo?"

"Yup, you Yams?" he grunts, earning a nod from the ghost. "Cool. Let's not waste any time then." He flies towards a table as Yams turns to the Drifloon by the counter.

"Luft! He's here!" She tells him, getting an acknowledging nod from her partner before following Sokudo, settling herself down gingerly on the seat across from the Ninjask, almost hugging her mask.

"First thing's first," Sokudo starts without waiting for the Drifloon. "You actually know what you're volunteering for, right?"

"Yes, sir," she answers with a nod. "I know exactly what I'm getting myself into, and I'm ready for it."

"You do know that this is dangerous business we're talking here," Sokudo continues, trying to make it absolutely clear so he doesn't hold too much responsibility if things go wrong. "Kowai's not exactly in its right mind."

"I understand," she assures before giving a soft smile. "Really, when I first saw your message, I thought it was a Task that was accidentally up on the Dating Board."

"I _should_ put it on the Task Board," Sokudo mutters under his breath, taking note of that idea for future reference. He looks up as the Drifloon comes over with a few drinks, giving one to Yams before smiling at the cicada and offering another. Sokudo looks at the cup with a bit of suspicion before taking it.

"I didn't know what you'd like, so I got you a Tree Sap Smoothie." Luft tells him, hoping to earn the Ninjask's good favor.

"Good choice," Sokudo grumbles as he sips the drink before turning back to business. "Now are you guys insane or something? When I put that app up, I knew it was a long shot for someone to actually answer it."

"Well," Luft starts. "We are Rescuers, it's our job to help others. And it certainly looked like you needed help."

Sokudo huffs a bit. "Damn straight I do." He takes another sip of the smoothie, looking Yams over. She doesn't really look any different than the average Yamask, isn't shiny or anything. Nothing really stood out; not really the Pokemon that would turn many heads. And looking at how she averted her eyes at his examination, he can make a good guess on her personality. "What makes you think you actually have a chance with this? You seem like a submissive little bitch to me."

"Um," Yams starts, trying not to let his rather harsh words get to her too much. "I don't know... But I'm willing to try. I think some gentle kindness might reach your brother. And well..." She clears her throat a bit. "I think being a... 'submissive bitch', as you call it, might be more effective than a girl being aggressive with him. Less threatening, you know..."

"But Yams can be pretty firm if she needs to," Luft interjects in support of his partner. "And if things get out of hand, she can defend herself easily. I think she could handle this, if you'll let her."

The Ninjask grunts, looking back and forth between them before casting one last examining glance at Yams. He doubts this shy little thing has any chance, but if they're willing, then who's he to stop them? He might not get another chance otherwise. "Alright, I'll take the risk. Now let's set up a plan." The two other Pokemon seem relieved that they're approved and Yams listens intently. "Kowai's very territorial of our house, so we should make the first meeting someplace neutral." He thinks for a moment, his mind scanning through the possibilities. "I'm actually going to the market to get some groceries. I can take Kowai and you can meet it there."

His eyes hardens considerably as he regards Yams. "Be sure to wait on the approach, 'cause I'm going to get it away from me. If you try to get near me, it'll react very badly, thinking it's 'protecting' me, fuckin' bastard..." He continues to grumble before shaking off the irritation. "And I mean it when I say be very persistent with it. It'll scream at you, no doubt, but I'll make it promise not to hurt you, so don't worry too much. Don't. Back. Down. I can't emphasize that enough."

Yams hesitates for a few seconds, before nodding. "Okay, I won't."

"Good," Sokudo snickers at this fortunate turn of events as he hovers off the chair. "Now let's get this shit on the road."

* * *

"Damn it, I hate this place," Sokudo grumbles as he flies into the market with Kowai following suit. "Fuckin' banned me for a week, all 'cause I stole some shit. If they lowered their prices just a little bit, there wouldn't be a problem."

The Shedinja is silent, half-heartedly listening to its brother's rant as it looks about. For once, it isn't in too much of an exploring mood as it too didn't like being here. Too many Pokemon for its liking. It floats extra close to its brother, growling softly at anyone that passes, snapping to attention only when Sokudo turns to it.

"Let's split up, Kowai," Sokudo mutters as he tears their grocery list neatly in two. He hands one half to Kowai and stashes his half in his bag. "Get those and meet me back here when you're done. And please be fast about it, as I wanna go home." He pauses for a second before adding. "I'm not even gonna ask you not to break anything, as I already know you will. But promise me not to hurt anybody! Last thing we need is to run from the cops... Again! Honestly, there's only so many times that I can say, 'Shedinja's gotta eat' as a defense here!"

"I promise, brother," the husk states, also eager to go home as it's nearing the time for its next Cuddle Session. It begins flying off, looking at the list held in its ethereal black mist. It doesn't like leaving its brother for too long, especially in such crowded places as this, but it can't deny Sokudo's request. Anything to get it out of here sooner.

Finding the first few items in its brother's list easily, it is about to grab an extra jar of tree sap for its Ninjask when it feels a soft tap on its wing. It instantly jolts away, surprised that someone was able to sneak up on it without having their soul stolen. Snapping around with a hiss, it sees why as a Yamask floats before it. A Ghost-type, the only Pokemon immune to soul-stealing...

"What?!" it shrieks defensively. "What do you want?!"

Yams can't help but blink at its reaction, like it thought she is carrying some awful disease and had spread it onto it with that mere tap. Clearing her throat, she speaks as calmly and gently as she can. "You're Kowai... yes?"

"What if I am?!" it continues to hiss. "Go away!"

"Sorry," she apologizes automatically. "But I heard some stuff about you and I was wondering if you'd be interested in-"

"I'm not interested in anything! GO AWAY!"

"You're not going to let me finish?" she asks it with a hurt look on her face.

"Why would I want to let you finish?" it growls in a low voice and she could feel the glare radiating off of it despite its lack of facial movements. Must be the increase of that black mist's flow. "Your words mean nothing to me!"

"That's uncalled for," she mutters under her breath. "At least listen for a few seconds: I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me."

"Go out where?!" the Shedinja continues in agitation, earning a shrug.

"Anywhere."

"Why would I want to go 'anywhere' with YOU?!"

"Well, truth be told, I think you're kinda cute and-"

"STOP TRYING TO CONFUSE ME!" Kowai screeches, genuinely thinking that she is trying to pull something. It lowers its voice just a bit, but its sharp tone is still there. "Now I say it again and for the final time: go away, before I hurt you!"

_But you can't hurt her,_ the calm voice in its head tells it. _You promised Sokudo._

The husk makes a sharp sound resembling a snort at that, but it never takes its true attention away from the Yamask. Backing off, it feels a small jolt of horror when the Yamask inches closer in response. She's calling its bluff, and it can't do anything about it! Only one conclusion comes to its mind and it lets out another piercing shriek.

"YOU'RE GOING TO HURT ME!"

Yams cringes at the volume, her ears ringing, but she continues to inch forward bit by bit, remembering Sokudo's words telling her to be persistent despite whatever fears she might have. She gently tries to shush the shell, trying to calm its panic as best she can without backing down. "Shhh, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

"YOU'RE GOING TO HURT ME!"

_Attack her! _the more savage voice in its head orders._ She'll hurt you if you don't!_

_She's not attacking you,_ replies the calmer. _You can't break your promise._

"SHUT UP!" Kowai snaps at the calmer voice. "SHE'S GOING TO HURT ME!"

Hearing this, Yams can't help but frown in confusion. Is this thing talking to itself? No wonder the Ninjask is so eager to get rid of it! And why she had to help him out, and maybe help this poor shell with its problems as well. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just look."

She reaches out slowly, steadily, and Kowai throws itself back against the aisle behind it, knocking some of the food off onto the floor and causing some of the jars to shatter. But it can go no farther and it shrieks even louder. "STOP IT! GO AWAY!"

But it feels a soft touch on its claw from the Yamask and it reflexively lunges with a Bug Bite, snapping the air when Yams jolts back. But it doesn't care that it missed and in fact, it uses the opportunity to dash away, only one thought and one word coming from it. "BROTHER!"

Yams blinks as the Shedinja disappears, sighing in disappointment that she failed to make progress. Well, everybody said that this isn't going to be easy...

"BROTHER!" Kowai continues to scream as it zooms through the store, easily homing in on its Ninjask's location. Sokudo certainly isn't expecting this and for a second he stares in confusion as the husk flies headlong toward him... A little too fast... At this rate, it'll-

"WHAT THE FU-Oof!" Sokudo grunts as the Shedinja tackles him to the ground, whimpering as it presses against his body tightly, burying its face in his neck. And of course, once he's shaken off his stunned state, his indignation automatically flares up as he tries to push the shed away. "What did I tell you about these damn cuddles?! Not in public! People are gonna think weird shit about us!"

"Brother..." Kowai continues to whimper, refusing to let itself be budged from him. After a few more tries, Sokudo eventually gives up and falls limp with a disgruntled look on his face, glaring at any passerby that dared glance in his direction. Finally, after a few moments of this, Kowai shares the source of its stress in a shaking voice. "Brother, someone tried to hurt me."

Sokudo blinks at this. Someone attacked his brother? Awesome! But wait... This thing didn't honestly think that Yams- "Who?"

"This female," Kowai answers with a hiss, finally pulling its face away. "A Yamask. She touched me."

"She touched you? Wow, that was fast..." His voice lowers into a grumble. "Personally, I would've waited a bit, get to know the person first..."

"Mm-hm," Kowai responds, clearly not paying much attention to Sokudo's last grumble. "On my wing and claw."

"Oh, that kind of touching, okay."

"I feel so dirty there now, but I can't groom it away," it tells him, pulling away and finally allowing Sokudo to stand as it looks to him. "Brother, can you groom me please?"

"Hell no!" the Ninjask snaps, not into the whole 'social grooming' thing, especially with a dead bug shell. "Just tell me more of what happened, ya creeper."

"Well, she was saying things, very strange things like she was trying to confuse me. Luckily, it had no effect."

"And what kind of things was she saying?"

"She called me 'cute' and wanted to... 'go out'. I don't understand, so she must be trying to hurt me!"

There is another moment of silence, where Sokudo resists the urge to face-claw. Oi, Kowai's naive nature is worse than he thought. "She wasn't trying to confuse you, dumbass. It's called flirting."

"What's... flirrrrr...ting?" it asks.

"As in she wanted to hook up with you."

All he gets is a silent stare.

"She wanted to go on a date with you."

Blank stare.

"She likes you, Kowai!" He says with a sigh of frustration. "She really, really, really likes you!"

Finally, the Shedinja seems to understand and it snorts with a snarl, the black mist beginning to writhe the air in irritation. And when it speaks, it's a low rumble. "How could she 'like' me?" it asks skeptically, looking off in the direction it came from. "She doesn't even know me."

Sokudo gives a small shrug, acting like none of this is bothering him. "You ever heard of love at first sight?"

"No, but I heard of _hate_ at first sight," it snaps. "I don't like her, at all! In fact," At this point, its voice lowers even more, the darkness in its words sending chills up Sokudo's back. "If she ever pulls a stunt like that again, and touches me, it won't matter what promises I make to you, Sokudo. I will destroy all traces of her."

It looks back at him ominously. "_Slowly_."


	3. Chapter 3: Presents

**Author's Comment: **The dating meme that inspired this is now linked in my profile! Check it out if you're interested in seeing Kowai's app! And of course, I happily thank my two reviewers, **Thewinkingme** and **ASiriusWriter**!

Thewinkingme: Yeah, being destroyed is a bit of a drawback! XD Hopefully, that situation can be avoided! I'm glad you found Kowai's cluelessness to be amusing, as that's one of my favorite aspects of it!

ASiriusWriter: "Kowai is scary. And childish. And annoying. And...very, very naive." Yup! Kowai in a nutshell! Good to know that my characterizations are accurately portrayed! And I certainly have fun showing how Kowai's logic works; it's smart, but hopelessly paranoid (and crazy)! XD Yams is a surprisingly determined little Yamask, so hopefully she'll keep earning those trying points! And yay! Someone else that gets my sense of humor! :D

* * *

Chapter 3: Presents

"Okay, slight change of plans," Sokudo starts, back with Yams and Luft at Spinda Cafe. He hadn't told them about Kowai's ominous threat regarding Yams, nor does he plan to. He just doesn't want to risk losing their help, and he's sure he can just work around it. "We'll slow down with this a bit, add a bit more distance. First of all, Yams, don't touch Kowai, at least not yet. It made it perfectly clear to me that it doesn't want to be touched, poked, prodded, bitch slapped, whatever, and I don't want to take the risk in pushing it."

"Oh, alright." the Yamask mutters. "I just wanted to show him that I wasn't going to hurt him."

"Understandable," Sokudo grumbles. "But I think that's moving a bit too fast, and I don't want to be responsible if you get hurt. So I'm thinking of doing a... 'desensitization' process." He takes a sip of the smoothie Luft had bought him. "I want you to follow Kowai as much as possible. Get it used to your presence without any actual contact."

"So," Luft drawls a bit. "You want Yams to stalk him?"

"Yup, pretty much." Sokudo chirps with a grin, the other two exchanging uncertain glances.

"May I add my two cents?" Yams asks timidly, not sure if she has a say in any of these plans. Sokudo certainly seems irritated as he rolls his eyes, but he doesn't deny her request. So the little ghost continues, her voice soft. "Wouldn't Kowai see that as a bit threatening? Being followed by someone he already had a negative experience with? I was instead thinking about trying to talk to him again."

"Talking is useless," Sokudo tells her with no uncertain terms. "It didn't work last time, so what makes you think it'll work again?"

"Well," Yams starts with a shrug. "Last time, he misunderstood me and thought I was trying to hurt him. Now that he knows my intentions, maybe he'll be a bit more receptive. I won't touch him, so he shouldn't freak out as much as before." An idea sparks in her head. "I can give him a gift or something."

"Give it a gift?" Sokudo pipes in surprise before thinking that over. Kowai has never received a gift of any kind, so how will it react to getting one, especially from a stranger? Maybe he should allow this, and find out. "Alright. You can talk to it and shit, see if that gets you anywhere. I can't tell you what to give it, other than a Soul Sacrifice, but I doubt that's what you had in mind..."

"No..." Yams whispers almost nervously. "I don't like the thought of that. I was actually thinking something like flowers or... yeah..."

"Dunno if it'll like flowers, but give it a shot." Sokudo states with a shrug. "I'll scout out another meeting spot, and give you a few days to work your little plan on it. Oh, and Balloon..."

Luft snaps to attention upon hearing the Ninjask regard him. Said bug takes another sip of the smoothie and smirks at him.

"This is a pretty damn good smoothie you bought. I wish nothing bad on you."

"Uh..." the Drifloon blinks a bit, obviously unsure of how to respond to that. "Thanks... I guess..."

* * *

Sokudo's requests are getting stranger and stranger.

Carrying an empty jar in its black mist, Kowai heads for Sokudo's favorite sugar maple tree. It doesn't understand why the Ninjask doesn't just have the tree sap they got from the store, and it supposed he prefers it straight from the tree. But why get_ it_ to do this? It isn't particularly skilled at getting tree sap, in fact, it's never done it before. But when it asked him to come along so he can teach it, he declined, telling it that it'll figure it out and that he's too lazy to go anywhere today.

Ninjask. Lazy. Those two words generally do not mix. But maybe Sokudo's tired, or sick...

It whimpers a bit at that thought. Last time Sokudo was sick, he told it that he would've died if he hadn't gotten to the doctors. Hopefully, that isn't the case this time...

Arriving to the massive tree, it floats to the trunk, just staring at it. After a few minutes, a small tendril of its black mist snakes towards the trunk and feels around the bark, testing it. Shouldn't be too hard... It stabs the tendril into the tree, slashing a small gash into it. Nothing. It tries again, deeper this time. And low and behold, the glistening sticky sap begins to seep out.

Purring at how simple this turned out to be, it holds the jar under the sap to catch it. After a few minutes, it pauses for a second, sensing another Pokemon coming over to it. It is already growling even before the voice comes up.

"Hi again."

It turns to the Yamask floating a distance from it, a soft smile on the other ghost's face. In her hands is a rectangular, bright blue box with a red bow on it.

"You again," Kowai hisses. "Go away!"

_Here we go again_. Yams takes a breath before holding out her offering. "I got something for you," she mutters softly, looking a bit bashful as she spoke. Hearing this, Kowai freezes, not expecting this at all. Almost immediately, it becomes more suspicious and it backs away defensively.

"What do you mean you got something for me?" it asks, staring that the box like it's some alien device that'll hurt it at the slightest touch.

"Well, I felt bad for scaring you the other day," she tells it. "So I bought this for you. Kinda like a 'sorry'." She holds it out a little farther. "Do you want it?"

For a long moment, Kowai doesn't respond except to maintain its growls. Finally, it slowly puts down the partially filled jar of tree sap before inching closer and closer towards her. It looks as if it is ready to attack or flee at an instant's notice and Yams makes extra sure not to make any sudden movements that might alarm it. Hesitating several feet from her, Kowai begins to hiss at her in warning before its black mist surges forward and rudely snatches the box from her grasp.

Backing away quickly, it snarls at her before holding the box up into its line of sight. The black mist engulfing the box to explore it, Kowai grunts a bit to itself and shifts the present's position as if trying to figure it out. Yams feels the impulse to help it understand, but she keeps her distance. Finally, the Shedinja snorts before throwing the gift to the ground.

"It's just a stupid box!" it snaps at her, thinking she was mocking it. Yams shakes her head, trying to keep herself calm at its snappy behavior.

"No, you have to open it." she tells it. "Here." Very slowly, she inches forward and she cringes as the shell gives a loud shriek. "It's okay!" she says, trying to get her voice over the din. "I'm just going to show you how to open it, is all!"

"You're not touching me!" Kowai exclaims as if it didn't hear her, although Yams tries to make her words as clear as she can.

"I'm not going to touch you, I promise. Just let me open the present for you." An idea slips into her mind and she quickly adds. "Lemme open it, and I'll go away, okay?"

At this, Kowai quiets down a little, still hissing. It backs away a bit and Yams tries again to inch closer. This time, the Shedinja doesn't blast her ears out with a screech and instead watches her extremely carefully. Its black mist is flowing heavily from it, giving it a large dark aura around it. Yams can feel the cold radiating off it and she hesitates. As a Ghost Pokemon, she is used to the chill of fellow ghosts, but this one feels... off...

Choosing to stay focused, she shakes it from her mind and takes the present, carefully unwrapping it in Kowai's plain view so it can learn. Placing the bow and wrapper aside, she opens the box and pulls out the gift: A dark purple flower. She smiles gently and holds it out to it. "Here."

"It's a plant." Kowai states flatly, unimpressed.

"It's a symbol," she tells it. "A token of my apologies. Take it, it's okay."

"It's a plant," Kowai insists before turning away back to the tree, picking up the tree sap jar. It starts filling it up again and Yams still floats there quietly, waiting for it to accept her gift. But acceptance is not what she got as it hisses. "Why are you still here?!"

"Well," she blinks a bit. "I'm waiting for you to take your present."

"I don't want your stupid plant!" Kowai snarls. "You promised to leave, so LEAVE!"

Yams lowers the flower, unable to keep from feeling rejected and hurt, although she knew this could very well happen. Sighing deeply, she nods. "Okay, I will." Maybe in keeping her promise, she'll show it that she's at least a little trustworthy. Plus, despite the rejection, she knows at least some progress has been made, compared to their last encounter. And that's the best she can ask for right now.

Placing the flower next the open present, she tries to offer another smile. "I'll leave it here, in case you change your mind." At this, Kowai gives a snort. "Good bye."

With a soft wave, she turns and goes off to reunite with her team-mate, ready to receive word of the next opportunity to meet Kowai for another chance. After she disappears from sight, Kowai visibly relaxes, turning its attention back to its sap harvesting. Almost done. Hopefully, its Ninjask will appreciate this and allow it to cuddle. It certainly needs a snuggle right about now.

There. Removing the jar from the tree, it purrs a bit before closing the lid and turning to go on its way. Unable to help itself, however, it glances at the so-called 'present' on the ground. Growling, it inches towards the plant and picks it up, looking it over. Maybe there is supposed to be something special about it and it only needs to examine it a bit closer. But if there is something special about this plant, it doesn't see it and it grunts before throwing the flower aside.

"Stupid plant." With little hesitation, it hurries back home.

* * *

"So it's been about a week of you 'talking' and giving Kowai presents. How's it going? Is it taking these glorified weeds or whatever the hell you're giving it?" Sokudo asks at another of their meetings, this time at the Rogue Headquarters and without Luft. Yams gives a small shrug, not sure how to answer at first before giving a small nod.

"He's been taking the presents from me, yeah, and he likes opening them. But he didn't like the flowers I was giving him, so I've been trying other things. Y'know, something more interesting." she tells the Ninjask. "Like yesterday, I gave him a Venus Fly-Trap, and he certainly seemed to have fun playing with it, but only after he thought I left. He's always feigning disinterest if I'm still there..."

Hearing this, a spark comes to the insect's eyes. "Wait, so all these presents, it takes them right out of your hands?"

"Yeah," Yams nods. "He's still a little overly-cautious about it, but I notice he's getting more confident each time." She states with a smile, her feeling of accomplishment growing a bit as Sokudo snickers, his claws twitching a bit.

"That's good, that's very good!" Sokudo says. "For it to go near a stranger, even just a little, that's definite progress there! It's certainly better than what I thought would happen." Of course, he thought Kowai would kill the Yamask on sight much sooner than this, and he's relieved that wasn't the case. Hopefully, she'll remember to keep refraining from physical contact, at least for now. "Alright, given how great this is going, I'm gonna take the chance here, and I'm going to get myself involved."

"What do you mean?" Yams asks, a bit confused as Sokudo previously expressed an interest to stay completely out of these plans, lest Kowai turns on him.

"What I mean, is that I'm going to talk to Kowai when I get home. And tonight, I want you make plans to go somewhere interesting, 'cause you are going to take Kowai on a date."

Yams almost chokes on the air and she blinks. "A date? Isn't it a bit too soon? He obviously still doesn't like me, and he's barely tolerating my presence..."

"Exactly," Sokudo points out matter-of-factly. "The gifts and stuff is good, it's great and we're really getting something with it, so don't get me wrong here. But we both know that the only reason Kowai's even interested in meeting with you is for all the new stuff you're bringing it. I want to transfer that interest from the items, to you. A date seems the best way to go."

"He's not going to accept my invitation..." Yams utters and Sokudo waves his claw dismissively.

"No worries, 'cause that's where my little chat with Kowai comes in," he tells her. "I'll convince it to go with you, you take it somewhere fun, it grows to like you, spends more time with you, severs its bond with me and BOOM! It's out of my life and your job is complete!" He can see the uncertainty still in the Yamask's eyes, but he disregards it as he turns off to leave. "Just get ready at the sugar maple tree by tonight. Kowai WILL go out you, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it happens..."

With that, he is gone, leaving Yams to wonder just what she should do for this so-called 'date'...


	4. Chapter 4: First Date

**Author's Comment: **I had a horrible day at work, so to calm myself down I started work on this chapter sooner than planned, thus the fast update. It certainly helped make me feel better :) Plus, my readers seem quite eager for more, so yeah, everyone wins!

* * *

Chapter 4: First Date

"Alright, that's enough," Sokudo grumbles, pushing Kowai away only for the Shedinja to press right back into his side.

"Five more minutes," the husk whispers blissfully, prompting the Ninjask to roll his eyes, but surprisingly he doesn't object!

"Yeah, sure, whatever..."

At this, Kowai purrs even louder, snuggling tighter and almost pushing the other bug off balance. Sokudo endures this as best he could, but his willingness to allow his brother to continue has a selfish reason behind it. He knows Kowai's much more compliant and open to ideas after a Cuddle Session and if there's any time where he can convince it to go out on a date, it's after a cuddle. So let it have that extra five minutes; anything to make it happy and content.

"Okay, I'm done," Kowai coos, finally pulling away. "Thank you, brother."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sokudo grunts, wasting little time in shaking himself off and grooming himself, trying to 'unfeel' the cuddles. The Shedinja floating by him watches the process in fascination, wishing it too had the mobility to groom itself. It goes closer in the hopes that Sokudo might give it a few licks, but of course it gets pushed away by the Ninjask, who draws the line right there. After a few more gentle nibbles along his wing's edge, Sokudo shakes himself off again before glaring to Kowai. "Alright, now that you have your stupid Session, I want to talk to you."

"About what, brother?"

"About your new little friend." Sokudo answers, earning a confused squeak from his shed.

"Friend?" Kowai asks, not having any idea what its brother's talking about. "I don't have any friends."

"Mm-hm," Sokudo grunts. "I'm talking about the little Yamask you've been getting all your shit from."

Hearing this, Kowai practically spits in dislike before hissing out its response. "She's no friend of mine. She persists in her little 'courtship' efforts, but I want nothing to do with her in that regard. Her only use is giving me new toys to play with."

"What's wrong with you?!" Sokudo exclaims. "Some girl is practically throwing herself on you and you're rejecting her?! You know how many guys would kill to be in your position?"

"But I'm not a guy," Kowai reminds him matter-of-factly. "I have no need for anyone but you, brother."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Sokudo mutters, shaking his head. "You do know that there's more to life than me, right?"

"No."

Face-claw. Sokudo knew this was going to be difficult, even with the Cuddle Session putting it in a good mood. But that was still ridiculous. Nonetheless, he tries to keep his voice calm and pleasant. "Listen, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the only Pokemon in the world! There's millions of us and you really think you can ignore everybody?"

"Of course not, brother. That would be silly," Kowai tells him, swaying from side-to-side at its own little rhythm. "Some of them are food. All of them are potential enemies."

Sokudo blinks a bit before pressing on. He's not going to back down from this! "And I'm trying to tell you that a lot of them could be your friends! And this girl, she could be that special someone you can actually LIKE! Someone that isn't me for once! Hang out with her! Take her out on a date! Don't you wanna see what it's like?" An idea flashes in his head as he says that, and he goes along with it. "Don't you want to learn something new? Have a little fun?"

Kowai is silent for a bit, but he can feel by the way it is staring at him that it is starting to get suspicious. He feels his heart begin to race a little. "Brother," it starts, its voice low. "You seem quite eager about this. It's odd..."

"I'm just... trying to do what's best for you," Sokudo says carefully, knowing he's treading on the boundaries of thin ice. "You don't think I notice how you keep staring out the window all the time? You WANT to go and explore the world, and this Yamask could be your chance here! She can take you to new places, show you new things! Things you would've never seen if you keep rooting yourself here with me!"

Again, the Shedinja just floats there, staring at him intently.

"Come on, Kowai! It can't hurt to try! Go find her, tonight! Don't waste time and go to her before she loses interest!"

"I want her to lose interest," Kowai informs him. "I want her to go away."

"No, you don't. Trust me," Sokudo studies the Shedinja before him, and can tell it's still unconvinced. Looks like he'll have to up the ante a bit... "I'll make you a deal, Kowai."

"A deal?"

"Yeah," He sighs a bit, before taking a breath as he sorts through his thoughts. "Give it all a shot, for a week, starting tonight. Do that, and I'll give you additional Cuddle Sessions."

"Additional?" Kowai asks, and finally, he hears a note of interest and he can't keep the feeling of hope from growing as he nods.

"As in I'll give you _three_ Cuddle Sessions a day, instead of two," He doesn't like saying that, but he knows he's got Kowai on a hook now. "It's a limited time offer, Kowai! I'm not gonna give you another opportunity here!"

There is silence for a few minutes, as the husk thinks this through very carefully. An extra Cuddle Session seems like a dream come true! How can it say no? But it is still rather suspicious of its brother's behavior, as he never seemed to care about its well-being before. Maybe he's up to something... Or maybe he's actually starting to grow fond of it, and this is the first sign of that...

It doesn't know which to believe...

"Alright... _brother_," Kowai whispers softly, with a tone Sokudo isn't sure if he liked. It doesn't seem angry, but the darkness is nonetheless there. "I'll play along with your little game. I'll give it a week. But..." Indeed, a growl inserts itself into Kowai's words and Sokudo feels his body stiffen. "If this turns out to be a big waste of my time, or worse yet, a trick, I will send the little Yamask back into the Spirit World. And as for you..."

Sokudo backs up a bit as Kowai floats closer to him until its face is mere inches from his. "I will have to punish you for lying to me, for wasting my time, for trying to trick me, yes? I will hurt you, and you will not fight and you will not run away afterwards. Understood?"

The Ninjask knows what Kowai is doing. It's suspicious and maybe even onto his true intentions and it's trying to scare him out of it. But he promised himself to get this done at all cost, and his honor refuses to let him fail his promise. He takes a deep breath, trying to keep himself from shaking, faltering, and he meets his shed's hollow eyes. "Yes."

"And you still accept, _brother_?"

Sokudo feels his throat tighten for a second and he forces himself to nod. The Shedinja stares at him for a bit longer, as if trying to see into his very core and expose his motives. He refuses to back out despite his unease, and this pays off when Kowai finally lets up and begins to purr.

"Okay!" It chirps, its tone suddenly cheerful and Sokudo actually feels his fear skyrocket at this extreme mood shift. He doesn't even have the strength to push it away when it cuddles to him again, humming to itself. He still can't move as the Shedinja nuzzles into his neck, the living cicada not at all sure how to react to it all. After a few minutes of this cheeriness, it pauses almost thoughtfully. "I'm hungry!" it announces before it pulls away, floating off with its merry purrs. "I'm gonna go eat somebody. Bye, brother!"

And with that, it is gone. And still Sokudo can't move, the whole conversation echoing in his head. And when he finally does snap out of it, he lowers his gaze to the floor in disbelief before shaking his head, realizing just what price he agreed to pay if this all went wrong. "THE FUCK DID I JUST DO?!"

* * *

Yams floats around the sugar maple tree, anxiously pacing as she thinks through this plan. She didn't like this at all. She has no problems with Kowai, of course, as it's been responding the way she expected, better even. There's no fault in it for doing what comes naturally. It's Sokudo she's starting to question. She personally thought she was doing fine on her own accord, taking it nice and slow and having the Shedinja set the pace of their interactions. But the Ninjask is rushing it, trying to get her to push and push, and she fears that things might get out of hand because of that.

Sighing, she looks up at the stars and moon, trying to calm down. What's done is done and she can only go along with it, try to make it work to the best of her ability. How she wish Luft could come along; he can give her some pointers on how to deal with all of this.

Her thoughts are interrupted as she feels a distinct drop in temperature and she turns to see the Shedinja staring at her from the opposite side of the tree, obviously using the maple as a cover to hide behind if she chooses to attack it. Still paranoid as always.

Attempting to disregard her worries and anxieties, at least for the moment, she smiles softly. "Hi. I'm afraid I don't really have any presents for you right now."

It growls at the sound of her voice, instinctively wanting to leave given the lack of presents, but knowing it can't. Not budging from its spot, it speaks softly and reluctantly. "My brother insists I find you."

"Oh?" Yams pretends to be surprised, blinking. "What for?"

Kowai doesn't answer for a moment, still snarling before it starts to inch out from behind the tree. It still keeps its distance from her, even as it flies around her. "Shut up," it snaps. "and take me somewhere. Now."

"Now?" she asks, startled by its rude disregard of her question, as well as its abrupt prompting. "Don't you want to talk first?"

"No," it tells her bluntly. "I don't _want_ to do any of this, but I _do_ want that extra Cuddle Session." It looks to her with a snort. "And what is there to talk about anyway? I don't care about you and you'll learn nothing of me. So let us skip these so-called 'pleasantries' and just get this all done and over with!"

Yams stiffens a bit, not sure what else to say to that. But she supposed she should comply to its wishes, try and make this experience as pleasant and enjoyable as she can. Holding in a sigh, she floats up to it, flinching back as it hisses until she's a couple yards away. With that distance established, Yams leads the way to the destination in mind.

They travel in silence for a while, pausing occasionally so Kowai can explore something or another. Finally, after a bit, the Shedinja breaks the silence first.

"Where are you taking me?!" it barks, and Yams startles at the suddenness of the question; it's been so quiet. Clearing her throat, she fiddles with her mask a bit.

"I'm thinking we can go to a local carnival," she tells it. "It only opens for a limited time, and I thought I can show you before it closes back down."

"What's a carnival?!" it hisses impatiently.

"You'll see, we're almost there."

And indeed, after just a few more minutes, they arrive at their destination and Kowai immediately starts growling again, not sure how to react to what it saw. There is lights and rides, tents and buildings, food and all kinds of Pokemon all over the place. It isn't used to so much noise and activity and Yams easily picks that up as she hesitates.

"Is it too much to take in?" she asks. "Are you too scared to continue on?"

She doesn't mean for it to insult the Shedinja, and had asked in genuine concern, as she doesn't want to push it into doing something that'll make it frightened. But nonetheless, Kowai takes it the wrong way and it snarls at her. "I'm NOT scared, you stupid girl!" It flies through the carnival's entrance. "Now come on!"

Yams wrings her hands a bit, feeling bad at its reaction, before following after it, allowing it to go where it will. It makes sure to float high above the ground-bound Pokemon, and hisses at any passing aerial Pokemon it deems too close. Yams keeps up with it, reminding herself frequently to keep to the determined distance. But despite that distance she still isn't expecting Kowai's sudden stop and just barely misses bumping into it.

Luckily no contact is made and another hiss is all it takes to get her back in place. Re-establishing that, Kowai returns its attention to what caught its eye and it wanders in the tent containing all sorts of mirrors. It always has a fascination with its own reflection whenever it sees it, contemplating its appearance and how different, yet similar, it is to its brother. This seems like a perfect opportunity to explore its form with so many mirrors around!

However, something is wrong here as its reflection in the first mirror looks nothing like it always does. Upon seeing the distorted image, it jolts back with a hiss before dashing to another mirror. But that reflection looks off too, and it hisses again. But instead of retreating, it goes closer, quieting down as its curiosity starts taking over. It plays around with the image, making it stretch and warp and floating upside down before heading off to another one, Yams following as close as she dared.

And soon enough, it starts purring a bit as it heads deeper into the Fun House, willing to spend hours just entertaining itself through these strange reflections. Watching it, Yams can't help but smile, unable to resist the thought of how adorable it is when in a playful mood.

Finally, they reach the end of the mirrors and Kowai immediately goes off to explore even more, the Yamask hurrying to keep up.

"Hey!" she calls to it over the din. Kowai hesitates before turning to her, growling as it's reminded of her presence, but doing nothing to silence her as she continues. "You want to try out one of the rides?"

"Rides?" it inquires irritably.

"Yeah, like that one." She points to one of the roller coasters and Kowai turns to look at it. After a few seconds, it gives another disdainful snort.

"What's the point? We can fly, so why take a 'ride'?"

"Well," Yams starts. "You're not really in control of it, and it goes much faster than we can ever go." It's harder than she thought, trying to explain why it's enjoyable. But she seemed to have done a decent job as the Shedinja looks at the coaster again.

"Will it go as fast as Sokudo?" it asks with a genuine note of curiosity and Yams feels herself giggle a bit.

"I don't think it should go that fast," she tells it with an amused tone. "We're probably not made to endure that kind of speed." She looks back and forth between the ride and the Shedinja before adding more. "Of course, it's all up to you."

Kowai grunts a bit, only partially listening to her as it watches the coaster for another minute. Finally, it decides and hurries over to it eagerly, Yams blinking before calling out.

"Wait, we're supposed to get in line!"

But her words are ignored as Kowai couldn't care less about waiting in line (Sokudo has taught it well), and it dashes to the waiting coaster. Choosing the third car, it begins to snarl and hiss at the other Pokemon that tries to go into that particular car, lunging forward to bite them if they ignore its warnings. Yams sighs as she catches up, shaking her head softly as she watches the Shedinja stake its claim on the ride.

Ignoring the growing protests from the other people in line, Kowai purrs in smug triumph as it drops itself into one of the seats, eager for the ride to begin. Yams floating to the car, apologizing softly to everyone as she does so, she awkwardly sits in the row behind the bug. Kowai hisses at her too, but reluctantly does nothing to chase her off.

After a moment, the safety harnesses goes down and the Shedinja startles before beginning to struggle against it, not at all liking this restraint.

"It's okay," Yams tells it reassuringly. "That's there to make sure you don't get hurt."

"GET IT OFF!" Kowai shrieks, beginning to panic when the harness refuses to budge. It takes Yams everything she has to keep from reaching out to calm the frightened husk, Sokudo's emphasizing words echoing in her mind. But one of the carnival employees doesn't know better and hurries to the Shedinja, the Raichu shushing gently as she places a paw on its wing in what she thinks is reassurance. But- "**DON'T TOUCH MEEEEEEEE!**"

The Raichu jumps back, but it's too late as Kowai Shadow Claws the harness to finally free itself before grabbing the electric rodent, throwing her violently into the car. Pokemon start to panic as Kowai's black mist keeps the Raichu in place, a large Shadow Ball starting to form in front of it. The Electric-type instinctively lets loose a Thunder Bolt, but as expected, it has no effect on the enraged Shedinja.

"Kowai, stop it!" Yams shouts as she slips through her harness to place herself between the two, shuddering on reflex as the freezing black mist brushes against her form. But Kowai ignores her, as if she no longer exists and it remains brutally focused on the struggling rat.

"EVERYONE STOP **TOUCHING** ME!"

The Shadow Ball is launched right at the helpless mouse, but Yams isn't going to let this happen and launches her own defensive Shadow Ball, a loud explosion erupting on contact. The Yamask covers her face against the blast, firmly standing her ground to shield the panicked Raichu as well. She doesn't notice the disappearance of the cold chill in the air and eventually the smoke clears. Coughing a bit, Yams glances back at the Pokemon she rescued before looking up to where Kowai's floating.

It's gone...


	5. Chapter 5: Aftermath

**Author's Comment: **Another fast update, mostly because I have this and several parts of the next chapters pre-written! Plus, I'm off work for a couple of days, so I have a lot more time to dedicate to this story. Hell, I'm already starting to write out more of the future chapters (including the ending ;) ) and even future stories with all my spare time! :p But I'll try to keep these updates at a reasonable pace... Knowing me, that means every other day given my lack of self-control when it comes to timing my submissions :D I can't be the only one who's overly-eager to submit chapters as soon as they're done, right?!

Anyway, I'd like to thank my usual reviewers, **Thewinkingme** and **ASiriusWriter** for actually sticking around for this long! *hugs*

* * *

Chapter 5: Aftermath

The front door swings open violently as Kowai flies inside with a growl, slamming it before glaring about for that stupid Ninjask. It needs a groom and a cuddle, NOW, and it doesn't care what its brother has to say about it! Catching no sight of the other insect, it wastes little time in heading deeper into the house, hissing and grumbling to itself as it arrives to Sokudo's closed bedroom door.

Forget about that bloody deal; that's not important right now! Charging its way in, it sees the Ninjask laying in his bed, the front half of his body hanging off the side of the mattress and a bottle clasped in his claw. He is asleep, judging from the snores coming from his throat. He smells funny, having this sharp odor it's never sensed before.

Ignoring its concern and curiosity of this new situation and this new scent, it flies over to the Ninjask and rather roughly pulls his unconscious form fully up onto the bed. Then it snuggles into his body, uncaring about the notion of 'gentle'. This prompts Sokudo to begin stirring, his voice thick as he groans. Fluttering his eyes open, he looks about before staring at Kowai in confusion. The Shedinja says nothing to acknowledge him, absorbed in its cuddles.

"The... The fuck...?" The Ninjask winces, rubbing a claw on his head before lifting the bottle held in his other claw into his line of sight. "Ugh! Fuckin' cheap-ass drink..." He drops the bottle before snapping at his brother for the disturbance. "Damn it, Kowai! I was hoping to sleep through the hang-over... But then you had to show up!" He pushes at it half-heartedly, his migraine making the sternness of his actions difficult to portray. "Get the fuck... off me, ya freak..."

"Shut up and take it, you bitch!" Kowai snaps back, causing Sokudo's eyes to widen considerably. Kowai's never cussed at him before, and it takes him by a huge surprise. His headache now taking the back seat in his Priority List, he begins to growl as he pushes hard against the Shedinja.

"You fuckin' bastard!" he snarls, feeling as though he's the only one who has the right to cuss in this house. "Call me 'bitch' one more time, I'll Aerial Ace you in the face!"

"Try it, _bitch_!" Kowai goads him in a rage, resisting the Ninjask's shoves. "I dare you!"

Finally, Sokudo manages to throw Kowai off before hovering shakily off the bed, facing his brother as his wings begins to glow. The Shedinja doesn't back down, hissing defiantly as it waits for its brother to attack. And there they stay before Sokudo grunts, closing his wings and falling back onto the bed with a grumble.

"Lucky I'm too hung-over to bother, you jackass..."

The Shedinja snorts before turning away, silence now coming between them as they begin to cool off from their anger. Rubbing his claw against his head one more time, Sokudo sighs before breaking the quiet blanketing them. "What're you doing in my room anyway? I thought you were on a date."

"I _was_," Kowai tells him softly. "But then I was touched again."

"Tou... Wait, what?!" For an instant, his heart skips a beat. Did Yams make the mistake of touching this thing?! Great, now she's dead, which means no more dates, which means he's gonna get hurt, then-

"Yes, by a stupid Raichu," -It takes everything Sokudo has not to look completely and utterly relieved- "I would've killed it too if that stupid Yamask didn't interfere." It grumbles a bit. "Lucky for her, I really need that extra Cuddle Session." It looks back to its brother. "You better not be lying to me about that, Sokudo! I've no more patience tonight!"

"Alright, alright, calm down." Sokudo mutters, trying to understand the situation. "First off, I promised an extra Cuddle Session and I mean it. Secondly, what the fuck happened?!"

Kowai grumbles to itself for a minute or two before telling its brother the whole story of what happened in the carnival. Sokudo listens carefully, interrupting only to tell it how stupid it was for being scared of the harnesses, and when the account is over, he stiffens as Kowai presses back against him. He doesn't dare push it away this time, especially as Kowai adds one last part to its account.

"You better hope tomorrow's a better time, Sokudo. Because so far, things are not looking good for you."

He gulps.

* * *

"It was horrible, Luft," Yams cries, covering her face as her Drifloon companion gently pats her in an attempt to comfort her. "I completely screwed it up! Someone almost got hurt and it's all my fault!"

"Shhhh," Luft shushes softly, trying to make the tears stop. It's been about an hour since she got back home from the date, but before he could ask about it, she broke out into sobs. He hates it whenever his best friend cried, although it is a relatively frequent occurrence given her species. Luckily, given that fact, he's had plenty of practice on how to deal with it and make her feel better. "It's not your fault, Yams. You did what you're supposed to, tried to make the best of it, _and_ you saved that Raichu."

"But now everything's undone!" Yams continues to bawl. "Kowai's definitely going to hate me, more than usual! I shouldn't have taken him to that carnival! How could I have been so stupid?!" She hits her mask against her head, continuing the self-punishment before Luft takes her mask in his string-like arms.

"Don't call yourself stupid, Yams," the balloon tells her gently. "Things got a bit out of control, but that doesn't mean you 'completely screwed up'. Here," He floats off for a moment before he returns, holding out a box of tissues for his companion, who takes it with a sniffle. "Look, every plan hits a few rough patches and this just happened to be one of those rough patches. You can try again tomorrow, and make up for it, okay?"

"But what if I mess up again?" she asks, what confidence she had hitting rock bottom. "What if I take him someplace he hates? What if someone actually got hurt this time? What if I _never_ get him to like me?"

"Now, now," Luft gently rebukes. "Those are what if's, things that won't even happen because you won't let them happen! You're a fast learner, Yams, and you've learned from this. Next time, you can take him someplace where it can just be the two of you. That way, there's no chance he can be touched and freak out, and then you'll both have a better time. Do that enough, and he'll come to like you, even love you for it."

"You th-think?" she hiccups softly, earning a nod from the Drifloon.

"I know."

"O... Okay..." Yams whispers with a nod of her own, wiping her tears only for them to be replaced immediately after in a continuous flow. "It's just..." She sighs, deciding to share her thoughts. "I'm starting to have second thoughts about this 'dating' thing. Sokudo doesn't understand that these relationships take time, and he can't just keep pushing it. It's like shoving two completely different Pokemon in a room and expecting them to be the best of friends after five minutes..." She sighs shakily. "It's like he's not even listening to me..."

"I'm sure he's listening," Luft reassures, not sure if he believes it himself. "He's just..." He tries to find the right word, the heart-shaped tip of his string moving in a small circular motion as if to help his brain along. "... desperate. Judging from what I'm hearing, this Shedinja is more than a handful. Who can blame him for wanting to rush things a bit..."

"I guess," she mutters. "So what should I do?"

"Keep at it, of course," the other ghost encourages with a gentle smile. "Despite the set back, you're doing a great job! Whether you know it or not, Yams, you're making a HUGE difference in both these Pokemon's lives, for the better. I mean it when I say that I think you're perfect for this job." He floats in front of his friend. "Now, keep your chin up and keep looking at the horizon, Yams! Tomorrow will be better, because you're going to show Kowai the time of his life!"

Unable to resist her friend's confidence and enthusiasm, Yams allows a smile to return to her face.

* * *

"What does 'hung-over' mean?" Kowai asks rather abruptly in a sharp tone as it follows the Yamask to wherever their destination is. Yams blinks at the randomness of that question and she glances back at it in confusion. Of course, it is still keeping its distance from her, and she can hear soft growls still coming from it on a near constant basis.

They've been on the move for a couple of hours after meeting again by the maple, and to Yams' relief, the Shedinja didn't bring up what happened the other night. Nor does it seem any more hateful towards her than usual. It's as if the husk is also trying to forget the rather unpleasant experience, or at least isn't holding it against her... She hopes anyway... Regardless, the lack of excess hostility has relieved a good portion of her fears, and hearing it ask her questions makes her feel a little bit better. Maybe Luft's right and things aren't going to be as bad as she imagined it to be.

"Hung-over?" She questions in return. "Who was hung-over?"

"My brother," the Shedinja answers softly in a grumble. "He said something about being 'hung-over' last night. And he smelled weird." It hisses. "He wouldn't tell me what any of it meant. So YOU'RE going to tell me!"

"Oh, okay..." Yams hums a bit, trying to find the best way to explain without confusing the shed. "He's been drinking a special kind of drink. It has a chemical in it, called alcohol, that'll make Pokemon act weird for a short amount of time. That's called being drunk. When it wears off, a lot of the time, they get hung-over, which is like a side-effect of the whole thing. It's rather unpleasant and that's probably why your brother didn't want to share anything, since, y'know, being hung-over tends to put people in a bad mood."

"Then why do it?" it grumbles.

"Well, for the fun apparently. Many Pokemon like the buzz alcohol gives them, this loose state-of-mind. For them, it's worth waking up in the morning with a splitting headache and a mysterious tattoo on their tail," she adds with extra humor, although she knows the Shedinja won't get it. "Personally, I never drank the stuff, even in my past-life, so I can't account for it first-hand."

The Shedinja merely grunts, falling silent again as it wonders where they are going. For Yams' sake, it better be someplace good, and not like that stupid carnival. No, scratch that, make it be the carnival again. That way, it can have an excuse to hurt her, badly. Already it can imagine Shadow Clawing her open, and shattering that precious mask of hers into pieces. It wonders how much energy it needs to put into a Shadow Ball to vaporize her out of existence...

"We're getting close," Yams tells it, snapping it out of its morbid thoughts and it hears a strange rumbling noise in the distance.

"What's that?" it asks suspiciously and Yams smiles back at it.

"My favorite sound in the world," She hurries up a sandy hill, Kowai reluctantly following. "And next to Spinda Cafe, this is my favorite place to be, especially to get away from it all." She stops at the very top and turns to it, pointing out to the place beyond with a big grin on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. The Shedinja snorts, glaring at her as it too reaches the peak and it freezes at what it beheld.

"Whoa..." is the only thing that can emerge from its throat. It stares at the sandy landscape, and then beyond at a huge expanse of rippling darkness that practically takes up its entire field of vision, the stars and moon reflecting off the surface of the massive body. The rumbling sound is coming from the reflective liquid as it splashes at the sand, kicking up a strange white frothy substance. There's a feel in the air too, crisp and almost misty. The scent molecules its black mist picks up has an almost salty edge to it.

A shudder goes through its body, causing it to lose a few feet of altitude, an overwhelming feeling washing over it. It's never seen such a thing before and it doesn't know what to do next, except to force out the only question its mind can grasp. "Wha... What is it?"

"It's called the beach," Yams answers with a soft laugh, pleased that she's managed to impress the insect ghost. "And the huge body of water is called the ocean."

"That's water?!" Kowai can't help but squeak, hardly noticing Yams nodding in response. It never even knew there can be so much water in one spot, -the most its ever seen before this was when it once made a pool on the kitchen floor by overflowing the sink-, and it barely gets enough of a hold on itself as it slowly flies towards the water. Yams follows respectively, her smile growing as the Shedinja pauses by the shore, clearly still in awe. It lowers itself carefully, enough for the very tip of its abdomen to brush the lapping edge of the water before jolting back up. That jolt is enough to snap it out of its overwhelmed state and it purrs as it heads farther out.

"Careful of the waves!" Yams calls to it worriedly, not knowing if the husk can swim or not. Is such a feat even possible for it?

She finds out when Kowai suddenly throws itself under the surface, moves around a bit under there, and flies back out, water pouring from its hollow body. It shudders and does it again and then again, taking delight in the way the water droplets catch the moon's rays as they drip from its body. Eventually, Yams' ears picks up something she never thought she'd ever have to honor of hearing:

Kowai laughing.


	6. Chapter 6: Mother-of-Pearl

**Author's Comment: **I actually don't have too much to say this time, except to thank my reviews as usual! **ASiriusWriter** and **Thewinkingme** are still standing by me! Plus, an old friend! Hello,** Mudkipster**! I'm so glad you were able to find and catch up with my other stories! It's good to hear from you again and that you're still enjoying my content! ;)

* * *

Chapter 6: Mother-of-Pearl

"Brother! I'm home!" Kowai calls out, opening the door of the house and letting itself in, looking about automatically for its sibling. It is early the next morning, it having spent practically the entire night playing in the ocean. It can still smell the saltiness clinging to its skin, as well as feel said salt coating its already-stiff body. Maybe now Sokudo will be willing to groom it, if it can find him. By habit, it floats over to his room to see the door wide open and the room empty. Not even the bed was disturbed.

Pausing at that, it goes back to the living room. "Brother! I said I'm home!"

"Yay..." finally comes the under-enthusiastic response from the kitchen and it hurries into the said room. It sees Sokudo sitting at the breakfast table, his face buried in his arms with empty jars scattered all over the place. Kowai is about to dismiss it as his regular breakfast but it manages to pick up another scent through the saltiness.

"Brother, you've been drinking again," it mutters, remembering what the Yamask told it last night. Hearing this, the Ninjask grunts uncaringly.

"So?" he utters in a muffled voice before removing his face from his arms. "Get used to it, freak, 'cause until the week's over, I have to drown my worries and stress in something."

"What do you mean?" the Shedinja asks in confusion, earning a contemptuous huff from the other bug.

"Apparently, the imminent threat of harm tends to put me in an anxious mood. Go figure," he snaps at it, reaching out for a jar and trying get the last of its contents, sticking his claw into the opening to scratch out the remaining droplets.

"Brother, are you hung-over?" it continues to question.

"No," Sokudo answers curtly. "Had good quality shit this time. Tree sap... Even when fermented, it never fails me..." He allows a small, almost-bitter smirk to grace his mandibles, as if hating himself for how low he's sunk. He pulls out another jar, this one full of regular tree sap as he'd rather save his drunken states for when the Shedinja isn't there. Who knows what kinda stuff it'll do to take advantage of such a vulnerable state. Opening the jar, he laps it up a bit before pausing for a second to sniff. "What's that smell?"

"Me," the Shedinja answers, its brother giving it a strange look. "I have been swimming in the ocean. It left its smell on me." It gives a chirp of anticipation. "Will you groom me now?"

Sokudo narrows his eyes at it; what's with this thing trying to get him to lick it? Aren't these creepy, uncomfortable cuddles enough? "No!" He exhales sharply and fans his wings for a moment as if trying to get rid of the smell's presence. "So what's this shit about the ocean? You went to the beach?"

"Mm-hm!" Kowai says, flying closer so it could tell its brother the story, spinning and twirling in emphasis to its words. "It was amazing, brother! I've never seen so much water! And the stuff underneath! There were so many Fish Pokemon! Their souls tasted delicious!" Sokudo only stiffens a little this time, too tired by the early hour to be fully frightened by the notion. "And the water makes all these waves! They were so much fun to ride, all the way to shore! And the ground! It was all sandy! I was going to dig in it, but then the sun came up and it was time to come back home!"

It purrs as it looks to its brother. "Brother, can we go back to the beach today? Please?"

"Again: NO!" Sokudo snarls with an irritated buzz of his wings. "I hate the beach, and I hate water."

"Why?" Kowai asks in confusion, not understanding how he could hate a place so fun. Sokudo rolls his eyes a bit, lapping a bit more of his tree sap breakfast.

"Last time I was at a beach, I was still a Nincada," he tells it. "Sun and water do not mix with Nincada, Kowai." Of course, there are more reasons than that, but he'd rather not tell his shed the whole story. "You're not ever gonna convince me to go back, so don't even bother to try." He gives a stretching yawn, grimacing as the smell persists in plaguing his senses. It is giving him a headache, bringing back all those unwanted memories. Finally... "Fine! I'll groom you! But just this once!"

"Really, brother?" It seems so ecstatic. First it got to go to the beach and now it's getting a groom!

"Shut up and c'mere before I change my mind." Sokudo snaps, hating that he's caving like this. But he can't stand that stupid smell! Eagerly, the Shedinja hurries over to him and Sokudo tenses, obviously reluctant to begin. Just... licking a dead bug shell... It doesn't seem right to him. But anything to rid the smell. Growling softly to express his discontent of the situation, he begins grooming his brother, who immediately purrs.

"This feels good," Kowai mutters softly and blissfully after a few minutes of this treatment. "Thank you, brother."

"You taste like a fuckin' potato chip with all this salt!" Sokudo snarls. "And that's not a good thing! Now I'll never be able to eat chips again!"

But Kowai doesn't seem swayed as it leans against its brother, earning a scowl as the Ninjask tries to move fast with this grooming thing, staying well clear of the soul sucking hole as he did. And the instant he gets done nibbling Kowai's wing, he shoves it away before grooming his face and mandibles, spitting as he tries to rid the taste in his mouth. After a few minutes of this, he tries to take his mind off what he had just done by deciding to talk about something more important. "So I'm assuming from your oh-so-happy mood, that you had fun last night?!"

"Yes!" the Shedinja exclaims with a spin, its enthusiasm made stronger by finally having that grooming moment with its brother. Maybe if it can get him to do it several more times, he'll bond to it quicker and eventually love it! How it looks forward to that day...

"And the Yamask?" Sokudo adds carefully, not going to risk getting his hopes too high. And that seems to be a smart move as Kowai froze, its cheeriness coming to a sudden halt, before turning away. Sokudo tilts his head a bit at the lack of an immediate display of hostility. When the Shedinja finally does speak, it's in a begrudging tone quite different than its previous demeanor.

"I... suppose she did good. This time, anyway," It begins heading out the kitchen before pausing and looking back at him. "But I'll be waiting for her to screw up and when she does, I'll be ready." It resumes its way out of the room, whispering the last part. "And you should be ready too."

* * *

"Hey, Kowai!" Yams calls out to the Shedinja splashing around in the water gleefully.

"What?!" Kowai barks, stopping its play to turn to her. Although it was still said in a sharp tone, Yams noticed that it isn't as hostile as usual.

It has been about three days since Yams first took Kowai to this beach, and she noticed some subtle changes in the Shedinja's overall attitude towards her. It is still snappy and irritated towards her presence, but it's actually starting to listen to her and is growing less aggressive bit by bit whenever she spoke to it. Mostly because it learned that whenever she called out, even if it was at annoying times, it's usually because she has something interesting to show or tell it. And now is no exception as it waits for the Yamask to say something and she gives a small smile.

"There's some stuff from the ocean that washes ashore," she tells it. "You want to go look for 'em?"

"What kind of stuff?" it asks in a combination of curiosity, impatience, and suspicion. The tone of curiosity seems to be the strongest and Yams giggles a bit.

"Shells, sea weed, scales, even an occasional pearl," She can tell that the insect is confused about what a good portion of those words mean and she giggles before beckoning it. "C'mon, I'll show you."

Pausing for only a second, Kowai shakes off some of the water still dripping from its body before flying over to her at a fast clip. If Yams didn't know better, she'd say it was eager.

Stopping just a few feet from her, it gives a short growl of warning before looking about. Yams wastes little time, leading the shed along the shore line on the search for treasures as she tries to contain her excitement. Since taking it here, she found it difficult to get it to directly interact with her like this. It mostly wanted to play in the ocean, an activity it so far has refused to partake in with her. But now, it's choosing to follow her instead, at a closer distance than it used to just days ago.

She is determined not to screw this up and hopes that they'll find something that'll keep the Shedinja's interest. At least the ocean's treasures are never in short supply.

"This is sea weed," she tells it as she points out a clump of green. "See how different it is from land plants?"

"Yes," Kowai mutters, floating closer to envelope the clump in its black mist. Yams waits for a moment for the Shedinja to finish exploring it and when it finally does pull its mist away, the sea weed is in shreds. It grunts a bit, a soft shiver passing through it. "I don't like it. It smells funny, and it feels weird." It pauses for a few seconds, its voice getting quieter. "But it's... interesting."

Yams nods softly, following the Shedinja as it continues along the shore, keeping its intent eyes on the ground in front of it. After a moment or two, it stops, staring at a dark object on the ground. For some reason, it's feeling a slight instinctual pull towards it, and it doesn't know why. "What's that?"

The other ghost looks over, leaning a bit as she picks up the object and brushing the sand off it. "It's a shell," She turns it over and a big grin spreads on her face. "Look at this, Kowai." She doesn't offer it a glimpse of her findings, and is hoping to lure the Shedinja a bit closer through the sense of novelty. The bug visibly hesitates, unsure of how to respond. It really wants to see what's so interesting, but it doesn't want to go any closer. It tries to take the object in its mist, but the stupid Yamask won't share and keeps pulling the object out of its grip. Hissing a bit, it sees it has no choice if it wants to see and it inches closer and closer, its curiosity outweighing its disdain.

Yams feels her excitement rise at an exceptional pace as Kowai keeps advancing until it is right beside her. While she's been this close to the Shedinja before, it's never been on its own will, with _it_ being the one advancing. Sure, it seems cautious and paranoid being this close to her, but it's here nonetheless. Taking a breath to calm, she shows Kowai what peaked her attention.

"Mother-of-pearl," she tells it. "It shows up on some shells, and I've always wanted to find one for myself. Isn't it pretty?"

Kowai doesn't answer, staring at the shell as if mesmerized, the tugging instinct growing more powerful. Its black mist slowly trails towards the shell, Yams allowing it to take it from her hands this time, and it brings the shell close to its face. Yams is about to tell it more, when the Shedinja begins to purr softly, giving a soft whisper that she almost missed.

"Beautiful..." It engulf the shell in its black mist just like it did for the sea weed, and Yams worries for a second that it might break it. But it seems gentle this time as it purrs even louder and holds the enveloped shell close to its body, continuing to whisper softly as it finally understands why the tugging's there. "I can feel it. It reminds me of Sokudo..."

"Really?" Yams asks in surprised prompting, hoping to have an actual personal conversation with it, and get a glimpse of what goes on in this creature's mind. Kowai doesn't seem to have heard her at first, so absorbed it seems in the shell. When it does speak, its words were almost lost in its purrs.

"Yes..." it answers. "The beautiful color, so smooth. Even its energy seems to be like his, just a little..." It shudders a bit, unwrapping some of its spiritual tendrils so it can look at the shell again. "It feels... good... Like he's here, even though he's not."

"I... I don't think I understand," Yams states honestly. "It's just a shell, so... how can you see your brother in it?"

"I'm just a shell..." it tells her softly, still staring at the object in its hold as if she hardly existed despite her close proximity. "Every second of every day, every night, I carry a large chunk of him wherever I go in this Mortal World. If I could, I'd cuddle this hollow thing I call my body." It sounds almost wistful... even... sorrowful? "But this body refuses to move, so I can't even hug myself." It whimpers a bit, its body gave a small shiver. "I'm drawn to him, because I _can_ cuddle to him, be close to him. The one that gave me my existence here, a second chance, the one who controls my destiny..." It nuzzles the shell again. "I don't know why, but this thing... It's important to Sokudo, in some way. So I'm drawn to this too..."

Yams is silent for a while, looking at the Shedinja and its fascination with this shell. This is the first time the shed has ever spoken to her like this, without a sharp tone or a paranoid hiss. She almost doesn't want to speak, just in case it'll snap out of this state, remember her presence less than a foot away from it. This might not happen again. Taking a breath, she closes her eyes to savor the moment before taking the risk of speaking gently.

"If you want, you can keep it," she offers. "I don't mind."

Hearing this, Kowai indeed snaps out of it and looks at her, its purrs ceasing completely. She's letting it have this, even after she told it that she's always wanted one herself. It feels its suspicions towards her return, and it backs away from her a bit. Looking back and forth from the shell to her, it grunts a bit before turning away and whispering softly, with great reluctance.

"... Thank you..."


	7. Chapter 7: Seventh Night

**Author's Comment: **This chapter's actually a pretty serious one, with little to no jokes. I'm sorry for the readers that come for the humor, but there will be some chapters like this. Just bear with me. Everyone else, please enjoy and of course, special thanks to my loyal reviewers, **calius** and** ASiriusWriter **(yay for the feels!).

* * *

Chapter 7: Seventh Night

A soft knock comes to Sokudo's bedroom door and the Ninjask can't be bothered to respond, at least for the moment. Another knock comes, along with the soft voice of his shed, and he closes his eyes tight.

"Brother," Kowai starts. "Can I come in please?"

"No..." the living cicada grunts, barely even turning his head to the door.

"Please, brother," the Shedinja pleads. "It's important."

Sighing heavily, Sokudo opens his glazed eyes to look at the tree sap jar currently held in his claw, taking a few laps before answering. "Fine..."

"Thank you, brother..." The door opens a bit, the Shedinja peeking inside to see its Ninjask slumped on his bed, an almost dazed look on his face. Judging from the half-empty jar of fermented tree sap, he's probably starting to get a bit drunk. Kowai doesn't really know what to think and decides to just go on with what it wished to talk about. "Brother, do you know what tonight is?"

Sokudo doesn't answer for a moment, just staring at a small patch of his blanket in front of him before grumbling his answer softly. "Yes..."

Kowai waits for its brother to continue and realizes that the Ninjask will need a bit of prompting. "Can you tell me?"

Again, it doesn't get an immediate answer, the Ninjask taking a breath before taking another few laps of his tree sap. When he does choose to respond, it is in another grumble, as if all his energy is gone. "The seventh night since you started going out with the Yamask..."

"And do you remember what that means?" Kowai mutters back, its voice still gentle in its prompting, given its brother's obvious state. This time, it gets no answer despite how long it waits and it whimpers a bit. "I don't want to hurt you, brother..."

"Then why..." Sokudo utters dully. "Why make that deal apart of this...?"

"Personally," Kowai starts, turning away a bit. "I didn't think you'd agree with it. But you did, and I have to carry it through..." It floats closer. "You're a very brave Pokemon, taking such a risk. Very foolish, but very brave..."

This gets a short, bitter laugh from its brother, his voice breaking its monotonous tone for the moment. "Somehow, I'm finding it hard to accept this compliment..."

"I understand," Kowai whispers, before floating even closer and pressing into Sokudo's side. The Ninjask grunts a bit, but does nothing to push the Shedinja away or verbally object, despite the husk having already gotten its Cuddle Sessions. Kowai immediately knows that it is because of his semi-drunken state and it feels the impulse to test how much it can get away with. But it controls itself, for the moment. "Would you like to know where you stand right now?"

"Not really..."

"So you wish to spend the night with suspense?"

"Trust me, I'll be too drunk to feel such a thing..." Sokudo tells it. "And hopefully, I'll still be drunk when you get back, so I won't remember too much of the pain that follows..."

"You really think it'll be that bad?" Kowai can't help but ask.

"I _know_ it'll be that bad," Sokudo retorts half-heartedly. "I was stupid to take that deal, but what's done is done, and it's not like you'll kill me... Hopefully..."

"Heh, I won't go that far, brother. If it comes to it, I'll take it easy on you." Kowai tries to reassure, although it easily senses that its words isn't taken seriously when the Ninjask huffs a bit.

"Thanks, I'll try to remember that through the torture..." Sokudo begins lapping the tree sap again before laying his head down on the bed, his drink obviously taking more and more of his mind with every lick. Kowai isn't used to this sort of behavior from its normally energetic and aggressive brother and it bothers it quite a bit. Purring in what it hopes is a soothing manner, it nuzzles into its brother's neck gently.

"Brother, I have a gift for you," it tells him, in another attempt to get him to cheer up a bit. But it only gets another grunt and it pulls away. "I'll be back. I'll get it for you."

With that, the Shedinja flies out of the room, Sokudo closing his eyes again as if trying to go to sleep. Personally, he thinks he has every right to act like this, to wallow in his own self-pity, as he knows Kowai's unpredictable nature left his future uncertain. Even if he had accepted the husk's offer to tell him his fate, he knows full well it can change at the drop of a hat, and probably will. Best not to get his hopes up, as this might very well be the last night in a long time that he'll be pain-free. He remembers the last time the Shedinja hurt him, all the pain and torment, and the near-fatal sickness that followed... He's pretty sure he'll have to endure that again.

After a few minutes, Kowai returns with a small object in its mist and it places it very delicately in front of its brother. "I was going to wait a bit longer before giving this to you, but I think you deserve it now..."

Sokudo opens his eyes just a bit to peek at his brother's offering before he feels his body stiffen. It is a shell, with its mother-of-pearl lining gleaming with iridescence. He feels his breath catch in his throat, and he tries to swallow it down. "Kowai, where did you get this...?"

"On the beach the other day," Kowai tells him. "I found it, and the Yamask let me have it. It reminds me of you, though I'm not sure why. Beautiful, isn't it?"

The Ninjask stays quiet for a while, just staring at it as more unwanted memories flash in his head. Taking an unusually shaky breath, he forces his eyes away blinking hard. Kowai hesitates when it swears it sees a little drop of water trace its brother's cheek. Is he...

"Brother... Are you crying?"

"No," Sokudo immediately answers in a rather defensive tone, shaking the stray tear off. "Just... Just get that thing out of my house."

"Why?" Kowai asks in horror, not sure why the other Pokemon is rejecting its gift like this. It thought the shell was pretty and it was hoping its Ninjask would too. But it seems that isn't the case as Sokudo pushes the shell away with a claw.

"Doesn't matter, Kowai," Sokudo hisses in the best snappy tone he can pull off. "I want it out of my sight and out of my life."

Silence as the Shedinja stares at its brother and at the shell. It doesn't want to get rid of it, but it doesn't want to upset its brother anymore. This shell meant something, but apparently it isn't anything good. It wonders about it, but decides not to push, not yet, before giving a whimper.

"Okay... I will," It tenderly takes the shell back, looking at it with a sorrowful whine before tucking it into its mist-filled body. It stares at Sokudo as the Ninjask shakes his head again to rid himself of anymore stray tears before laying himself back down. He takes a big gulp of the tree sap jar before throwing it aside, uncaring of any subsequent mess it might cause. Kowai flinches a bit at this, before giving a slight shudder. "I'm sorry, brother. I didn't think..."

It trails off before going back to snuggle against Sokudo. The Ninjask again does nothing to push it away and he only lifts a claw to groom some dripping tree sap off his mandibles. This gives Kowai the idea to try and lift both of their spirits, and it nuzzles into its brother's neck again. It then tries to imitate the social grooming process, some of its black mist emerging from its small mouth to 'lick' its brother gently.

Sokudo stiffens at the freezing sensation tickling his neck and throat, at first unsure of what his brother's doing. While he is used to the chill of his shed's black mist, he still doesn't like it, especially near his neck. All that does is remind him of the night it almost killed him. So it comes to no surprise that he leans away from his brother, his claw finally pushing it away as he forces out a growl.

"I'm not that drunk," he tells it as firmly as he can, hoping it'll get the message as he's sure he won't have the strength to defend himself if the Shedinja persists. But the husk doesn't, to his relief, and it pulls away with a slight purr, as it had managed to get in a few more seconds than it expected.

"Very well, brother," it says to him with slight humor before turning for the door. "I have to leave now anyway." It gives him a glance, its voice back to the more somber tone. "Whatever happens in the morning, know I still love you."

It only gets a soft grunt before it heads out for that final date...

* * *

Yams waits patiently for Kowai to arrive to the sugar maple tree, staring at her mask as she does so. Its golden surface gleams in the full moon's light and she sighs softly, reaching out and brushing off some dust. She can hardly believe how much time has past since she met the Shedinja, and how much progress she has made with it. It went from screaming bloody murder at her, to tolerating her presence less than a foot from it and opening itself up to her bit by bit. It was a difficult road, but well worth it.

She wonders how far it will go. Obviously, she wants the other ghost to love her and she herself cares about it a lot. But does she really love it? She likes it certainly, otherwise she would've given up on it a long time ago. And she does worry about its well-being, like when it tries to play with especially rough waves, or dives into the ocean too deeply for too long. And she definitely enjoys teaching it all about the world around it, and she loves seeing that glint of excitement and curiosity whenever she gets it something new to explore.

But does she really love it? Love it enough to spend the rest of her immortal life with it... or at least until Sokudo's lifespan reaches the end of its rope... If she did get the Shedinja to fall in love with her, enough for it to switch its attentions fully onto her and away from the Ninjask, she'll have a pretty long-term commitment to keep it that way.

All these thoughts are cluttering her head and she closes her eyes as she tries to clear it. She's still too early in the process, with no guarantee of success. She'll cross those roads when she gets to them and until then, she'll keep working and enjoy herself in the meantime.

She opens her eyes again when she senses the familiar presence beside her and she looks up at the Shedinja. Immediately, she puts on a smile. "Hi, you ready to go?"

"Actually," Kowai starts with a grumble. "I wanted to give something to you first."

At this, Yams blinks in great surprise, as she isn't expecting this at all tonight. Clearing her throat a bit, she stays sitting where she is as she tilts her head. Her unspoken question doesn't need to wait long for the answer before Kowai drops something by her mask-bearing tail. Picking it up, she sees it's the mother-of-pearl shell she gave it a few nights ago. She doesn't know how to respond to this at first and when she does, she sounds more than a little confused.

"You don't want it anymore?"

"No, I want it," Kowai tells her softly. "But my brother wishes for me to get rid of it... So I am."

Looking at the sea shell, Yams feels herself again lost for words. Instead of throwing this shell away, or putting it back on the beach, Kowai is giving it to her? Seeing her speechless state, the Shedinja snorts before turning away, forcing out a hiss.

"You said you wanted it, didn't you? So why are you hesitating on taking it?"

"I just..." Yams starts. "I'm just surprised, is all. I... I didn't really expect you to give me a gift."

Hearing this, Kowai pauses. Is this really being considered a gift? It is giving it to her, yes, but only because it finds the shell much too precious to be discarded in the trash or placed back into the elements. It is sure the Yamask will treat the shell with the respect it deserves, but... "It's not a gift." it insists. "Just leave it at that."

Silence comes between them for a moment before Yams looks back at the shell. "Well, thank you anyways."

Kowai merely gives another snort before it flies off a bit. "So are we going or not?"

"Right," With that, Yams pushes herself off the ground and leads the way to the beach, although she is certain the Shedinja knows the way by now. As she floats, she casts frequent glances at the Shedinja, wondering some more about its motive for getting rid of the shell. Finally, she speaks up a bit. "Kowai?"

"What?" the husk replies, its tone just a little sharp, another thing Yams considers progress.

"Why did your brother want you to get rid of the shell?" she asks gently, hoping she isn't pushing too hard in asking for its business. Kowai glances at her before grunting a bit.

"I don't know," it answers. "He just wanted it out, and I have to respect his wishes."

"Okay," Yams is about to leave their conversation at that, but to her surprise, the Shedinja keeps talking.

"I don't understand," it mutters. "It's such a beautiful thing, so much like him. I don't understand why he rejects it."

"Maybe..." Yams starts. "Maybe it has something to do with his past... Something that bothers him and that he'd rather forget."

"Perhaps," Kowai whispers softly, and Yams feels her heart bounce just a little in excitement. She's had several meaningful conversations with this bug, but it's still a rush when it happens. And it seems it'll continue as the Shedinja looks to her. "While we're talking, I wish to ask one thing."

"What?"

"It's nearing the end of the deal between my brother and I. I haven't made you aware, but I've been giving you a week to prove yourself worthwhile to me. When tonight's over, I won't be obligated to continue meeting with you like this. And just in case I decide to end it all here and now, I wish to know: why did you approach me in the market? And at the sugar maple?"

Yams blinks again, at both the question and the new information she's just been given. Ever since Sokudo ordered for her to go on a date, she hadn't met up with the Ninjask and so has not heard of this deal. She certainly didn't know of this time limit and it caught her off guard. What did that all mean for the progress she made? That it was all a fluke? No... it seems more genuine than that, she's sure.

Remembering the question, however, she snaps out of her thoughts and fiddles with her mask a bit.

"Well," she starts, feeling weird as she tries to think of a lie. After all, she can't tell it that its brother put her up to this. "I've noticed you around for a while, and I really did think you were cute. I was hoping to get to know you that day, is all."

"But why persist?" Kowai continues to press. "I think I have made it pretty obvious in both those occasions that I wasn't interested in you, but still you returned to me. Why bother putting so much effort in someone that, for all you know, will never come to love you?"

At this, Yams falls silent for a minute, genuinely thinking of an answer to that. And when she does, it's in the form of a simple question of her own. "If I may, why do _you_ persist in the pursuit of your brother? I've seen the interactions between you two and it looks to me that he's not impressed by you either."

Having the questions turned around on it, it falls silent. It knows what she just did and it has to admit, she brought up a point. If it can hope that its brother will love it someday, why can't she hope for it to love her someday? Suddenly, it begins seeing this whole thing in a different light, begins seeing Yams in a different light...

"I really want this to continue, Kowai," Yams tells it softly. "I know you probably will go back to rejecting me after all this, but I'm not going to give up on you, just like you won't give up on your brother. And I'm willing to go to any lengths to prove that to you..."

She comes to a sudden stop, Kowai automatically stopping alongside her. This is incredibly foolish, she knows, as it could undo everything she worked for. But she has to do it, to prove her point and prove to herself that she really has made some genuine progress here, that it isn't just the product of some deal. Taking a breath and holding it, she forcibly dispels Sokudo's words echoing in her head, and forces herself to ignore her common sense and reasoning. This has to be done, tonight, as she might never get another chance should Kowai refuse further contact with her. It might scream at her again, maybe even attack her, but at least she'll know for certain that her efforts weren't for nothing.

She reaches out with a hand steadily, her intentions obvious. Kowai doesn't respond, doesn't growl, doesn't hiss, doesn't back away. It just stares at her, still and silent...

Incredibly slowly and incredibly gently...

She touches its claw...


	8. Chapter 8: Judgement

**Author's Comment:** I was tempted to hold out on this chapter for a while, just to be evil with the suspense! XD Luckily, I had mercy upon the souls of my readers (I don't want anyone to die from suspense *looks towards **Miaomii*** ), so I decided to keep to the schedule! ;) Again, thanks to my reviewers **Mudkipster**,** ASiriusWriter**, and the aforementioned **Miaomii**!

* * *

Chapter 8: Judgement

Kowai's very late coming back home...

Sitting on the living room couch, Sokudo anxiously glances at the clock again. It is well past dawn, when the Shedinja usually comes back, and if anything, it is nearing noon. The Ninjask knows that he's being stupid, just waiting around like this. He should be flying away right now, save himself from the agony that awaits him. But he can't break the deal... Maybe he should go get more fermented tree sap, get himself drunk before the Shedinja gets home. No, he'd decided that he'd rather take his fate with dignity.

Sighing, he lays himself down and rests his cheek on the arm rest. Kowai's right, the suspense is killing him!

"That hollow bastard is doing this on purpose," Sokudo grumbles to himself, casting another anxious glance towards the clock. "Fuckin' sadist..." He can imagine the shed just outside the house, snickering over how antsy he's getting...

Finally, a knock comes to the door and Sokudo shoots up into a sit, staring at said door. He finds the knocking pretty odd; why isn't Kowai coming in itself? Maybe it's carrying too many items in its black mist? Or maybe this is another method of getting him anxious; that husk really is a sadist... Another knock comes, this one more insistent and Sokudo takes a deep breath before hovering into the air.

His heart is racing as he edges to the door, fully expecting his brother to begin the punishment right off the bat with a Shadow Ball to the face. Cringing as he freezes, he holds in a whimper as he fights the instinct to fly out the back door. He has to do this, get it done and over with. He's gone through it before, he can do it again. Forcing himself to calm as best he can, he reaches out, opens the door just a bit, and peeks out.

"The fuck?" he exclaims in surprise, swinging the door wide open. It isn't Kowai floating in front of him, but Luft! He glances around for any sign of his brother, but sees nothing before returning his attention to the Drifloon. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Yams," Luft tells him anxiously, his words flowing out quickly. "She hasn't come home yet, and I'm getting very worried about her. Is your brother here? Can I talk to him? Maybe he knows where she is."

"First of all, " Sokudo starts, putting a stop to the balloon's ramble. "Kowai isn't here. Second of all, even if it was, you talking to it would be a horrible idea. You just _floating_ there is a horrible idea! There's a reason why I told you guys not to visit!" He grunts a bit, calming down from his snappy tone. "And lastly, what do you mean Yams hasn't come home yet?"

"Well, she usually always comes straight home after their dates, and she at least tells me if she's going to run late afterwards. But this time," He twines his string-like arms nervously. "Normally, I wouldn't be worried too much, but with what I know about Kowai, I..." He trails off a bit. "I looked everywhere. The beach, the maple, Spinda Cafe. No sign of her anywhere..."

Suddenly, the sentence clicks something in Sokudo's mind and he freezes anxiously. "Oh shit..."

"What?" the Drifloon says, both hoping the Ninjask might have an idea and dreading the new horror growing on the cicada's face.

"Don't tell me she touched it..." Sokudo grumbles to himself. "Shit!" He turns his sharp eyes on the little ghost in front of him. "Come on!" Without waiting for a response, he takes the balloon's strings and takes off at full speed towards the sugar maple, Luft screaming the whole way. It only takes a few seconds to reach their destination and Sokudo wastes no time releasing his 'passenger' and glaring around frantically.

Recovering as best he can, Luft fixes the fluff on his head before looking up at the maple. "I already checked here..."

"Shut up," Sokudo growls. "I need to clear my head and this is the best place for me to do that." He closes his eyes as he thinks to himself, muttering out-loud to help. "Alright, Kowai's never one to stray too far from familiar territory. So if it's not here, and it's not home, the beach is really the only place it can be."

"But I looked there too," Luft informs him. "Up and down the shore, no sign of either of them."

"Did you check the ocean?" the Ninjask asks, Luft pausing for a moment.

"No, I didn't think of that... Yams doesn't really swim a lot..."

"But Kowai does, and if it's there, we'll find Yams too." he tells the Drifloon before adding under his breath. "Hopefully, alive." Again, he grabs the balloon and Luft can't even brace himself as they take off again. Although the beach is a fairly long distance away, it only takes a minute for the high-speed ninja to arrive.

"You _really _need to give me a warning when you do that..." Luft mutters almost in a daze, the Ninjask waving him off as he glares along the shore, then towards the ocean. He takes a deep breath, this whole place bringing uncomfortable feelings of sadness and guilt.

"Kowai, I swear, if this is some ploy to get me here, I'll kill you..." Sokudo hisses softly, his claws twitching slightly. He turns to the Drifloon. "Split up. If you find my brother, come get me WITHOUT approaching it, got it?"

"O...Okay..." Luft nods, shaking off the last bit of overwhelmed feeling from his round body. Floating off, the Drifloon immediately begins calling for Yams and Sokudo snorts a bit, trying to rid the scent of ocean without success. Trying to ignore his location as best he can, he focuses on finding his shed and hopefully the still-alive Yamask. Flying towards the ocean, he hesitates at the shore and closes his eyes, trying to block out everything.

Kowai had a very uncanny homing instinct towards him. If it senses him nearby, it's guaranteed to send it zooming in. And if not, maybe he has a homing instinct as well and just needs to unlock it... He tries to blank out his mind and rely on his instincts, discarding the irrelevant one by one. His instinct to leave this place is particularly strong, but he chooses to ignore it.

There... He feels his wings taking him somewhere and he resists the urge to open his eyes, lest it ruins his concentration. He didn't know where his wings were leading him, and he only hopes it will help...

A loud splashing far from shore breaks his focus and he growls as he snaps a glare towards the splash to yell at the Pokemon who created it. But he freezes when he sees the familiar shape of his husk shaking water off its body. It turns to him and immediately flies over.

"Brother!" Sokudo braces himself just as Kowai collides into him, the Ninjask barely able to keep himself from falling out of the air from the impact. He feels the Shedinja snuggling into his neck in greeting. "Brother, I knew I sensed you!"

"Public, Kowai!" Sokudo reprimands, pushing it away. "Public!"

"Sorry," the Shedinja chirps cheerfully, purring as it looks at him. "What're you doing here, brother? I thought you said-"

"I was looking for you," Sokudo hisses and the Shedinja pauses before looking towards the moon. That's when it realized that the moon is gone and the sun is beating down on it instead.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kowai apologizes more genuinely. "I found this underwater cave and went exploring! I learned something new and-"

Another splash comes from the ocean and Sokudo looks towards it. A blanket of relief falls over him to see Yams, alive and well, wiping water from her mask before spotting them. She hesitates before slowly floating closer, unsure how Kowai will react to her now that it's in Sokudo's presence. The Shedinja doesn't seem to notice until she got a few feet from it and that's when it begins hissing at her. She stops respectfully and the Shedinja makes no hesitation in continuing its story as if she didn't exist. Meanwhile, Sokudo is almost stunned by how tolerant it's become.

"I learned something new, that Yams taught me. It really helped in keeping the other Pokemon away from me when we went to the cave and-"

"Yams!" Another voice calls out and the Yamask looks over to see Luft hurrying towards her, the Drifloon looking incredibly relieved. "Thank goodness we found you! I was really starting to worr-"

Again, the interruptions continued, this time by Kowai, who begins screeching at the balloon. Luft freezes and automatically starts backing away as the over-protective Shedinja presses itself hard against its brother's side. "STAY AWAY!" it shrieks, causing everyone to cringe from the volume. "DON'T COME NEAR MY BROTHER!"

Before anyone can properly react, Kowai lunges with savage intent, a Shadow Claw just barely missing as the Drifloon throws himself out of the way. But less than an instant later, he has to dodge again and again as Kowai continues its assault with Shadow Claws and Bug Bites. Luft knows he has to defend himself, but he doesn't want to hurt the Shedinja. He tries using Hypnosis, but his lack of concentration makes pulling it off impossible.

"Kowai, knock it off!" Sokudo yells out firmly, only to be ignored as the Shedinja presses its attack on the helpless balloon, obviously intent on killing the other ghost. But murder is not something Sokudo is particularly inclined to witness and he wastes no time in lunging with an Aerial Ace...

Only to hit an invisible barrier as Kowai snaps towards him, alerted by the bright flash of light. He crumples to the ground and Kowai is immediately at his side, whimpering. "Brother! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," the Ninjask hisses, shaking himself off as Yams hurries to her out-of-breath friend. Luckily, the Drifloon seemed to have suffered no damage, although that is about to change as the Shedinja returns its attentions to him and lunges once more. Seeing this, Yams immediately throws herself between them, trying to stop this madness from continuing.

"Stop, Kowai, please! It's alright! Luft's my friend!" she tells it, the Shedinja snarling at the Drifloon.

"Keep him away from my brother!" it barks, both the other ghost's cringing at its loud voice, the Yamask shushing a bit as she tries to calm the enraged shell.

"Don't worry. He's my best friend. He won't harm your brother, I promise." she reassures, earning a skeptical snort from the aggressive shed.

"Back off, Kowai!" Sokudo demands, taking back to the air as he doesn't particularly like the sand under his claws. Hearing this, Kowai glares at him, then at Luft and Yams. After a moment, it grumbles as it reluctantly backs away. Everything slowly begins calming down, Luft resuming trying to catch his breath as Yams hugs him in comforting assurance. Kowai continues to glare suspiciously at the Balloon Pokemon before turning to Sokudo when he speaks up.

"What the hell did I crash into?" he asks, still feeling the pain of impact although he tries to hide it. Kowai takes a minute to answer, obviously trying to get over its instincts telling it to rip open the nearby stranger, and when it does respond, its voice is soft.

"I told you, brother. The Yamask taught me. She said it's called Protect."

Unable to help himself, Sokudo looks to Yams with an expression of disbelief and horror. "Yams! Why?!"

At this, the Yamask hesitates, pulling away from her friend to rub the back of her head nervously. "Well, there were a lot of Sharpedo and Carvanha down there. I didn't want Kowai to get hurt, but he insisted on going down there, so..."

_Great!_ Sokudo wants to snap but keeps it back. _There goes my only defense!_ Although he knows that isn't true, he can't help it. Yes, he knows Protect can only work for a limited time, but that limited time can mean the difference between life and death! Shaking his head, he feels a headache starting to come on as Luft turns to Yams with great relief, having recovered from the unpleasant experience.

"I was so worried, Yams!" he starts, a smile gracing his small mouth. "I'll admit, I was scared you got hurt."

"I didn't get hur-" Yams tells him before cutting herself short. "Well, I did a little, but I kinda had that one coming." She shows him her hand, a small wound oozing dark energy showing easily despite her black body.

"What happened?" Luft can't help but ask, wincing as that wound looked pretty deep.

"She touched me," Kowai grumbles, answering the Drifloon itself and Sokudo feels himself jolt.

"SHE TOUCHED YOU?!" Sokudo exclaims, looking at Yams with wide eyes. "And you're still alive?!"

"What?" Yams blinks before Sokudo catches his slip and turns away quickly.

"Nothing. We're going home now." he says with no uncertain terms, the Shedinja following him eagerly as he starts flying off, wanting to get away from the stranger. Yams and Luft can only blink in confusion, unsure of what they just heard...

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Sokudo sighs drearily, his anxiety far from leaving him in peace. Watching as the Shedinja turns to him, he closes his eyes tight, awaiting the worse. Although Kowai seemed to have had a great time upon being found, the encounter with Luft could've changed that. Plus the added little detail of Yams touching it might have tipped the scales out of his favor. Best to be ready, although it doesn't stop a soft whimper from escaping his throat.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Kowai asks and Sokudo keeps himself from snapping, still staying frozen to the spot as an easy target, eyes clamped.

"Just get it done and over with, Kowai..." he mutters. "I'm ready."

Silence comes for a long moment, Sokudo waiting anxiously for the first blow to be dealt. But it doesn't come and instead, he feels the Shedinja push itself under his chin and chest, purring as it does so. His eyes finally opening to blink, he looks down at his husk cuddling to him in confusion. The shed seems amused by his shock and speaks in a gentle coo.

"Silly brother, I'm not going to hurt you." it tells him. "The past week, it's been well worth my time." It nuzzles against his throat as Sokudo tries to absorb this. Somehow, things turning out for the positive didn't occur to him, always the pessimist he was. When it comes to Kowai especially, nothing good ever seems to come out of it. So for it to be having a Cuddle Session with him instead of slashing his face puts him at a loss for words for a few minutes. And when he finally gets his mind and voice to work, it's in a disbelieving squeak.

"But, Yams... I thought you said she touched you..."

"She did," Kowai grunts. "And I allowed it for a few seconds, before I punished her for it. I bit her and told her that I wasn't ready for it yet." It snuggles tighter, almost pushing him over. "Being touched by strangers makes me feel dirty, brother... Like I'm betraying you. But this time, I don't feel as dirty... It's strange."

"Wait," Sokudo chimes in, his mind only focusing on one word in that answer. "Did you say... 'yet'?"

Kowai doesn't answer for a while before pulling away a bit. "Brother, when you first told me to go with her, I was doubtful it'll ever be worth my time, and I was suspicious that you might be up to something," -It takes every bit of control Sokudo had to keep his body from stiffening- "And that first night, I was certain fate wasn't smiling on you, brother."

It looks away a bit. "But then, I found myself having fun... And last night, she told me something that really..." It tries to find a good word. "Really bothered me... It got me to see things a bit differently, and despite her touching me, I already had my decision firmly rooted, so I didn't kill her." It looks back to him. "I'm going to continue this, for however long it lasts... And I'm going to try to be more open, more willing about this whole thing."

It gives a soft laugh and Sokudo tilts his head, not really having heard this thing's laughter before. "I don't know much about this... 'courtship' thing. It's not in my nature, not in my instincts. But I'm more willing to learn this time. Brother..." It snuggles back up to him, its purrs resuming. "Can you teach me?"

The Ninjask can't stop the small smirk from growing on his face. Seems that hope is far from lost...


	9. Chapter 9: Yams for Yams

**Author's Comment: **Another chapter, a little bit sooner than usual. This is another pre-written one, so I couldn't help myself... It's a little different than the other chapters, but there is sweetness in it! Again, thanks to **ASiriusReader** for the helpful and reassuring review and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! :)

* * *

Chapter 9: Yams for Yams

"Whaddya mean I'm banned again?! I didn't even steal anything this time!" Sokudo yells indignantly at the Kecleon store owner, Kowai hissing beside him. Sokudo has decided to begin his lessons of romance by telling Kowai that they oughta get Yams something nice to reward her for all the trouble she's gone through, like flowers or chocolate. However, when they arrived to the market to get those gifts, they were stopped by the owner, who has just broken the news to the insect duo. The said lizard in front of them fixes his glasses and apron, trying to look unintimidated as he glares at the two insects.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sokudo, but we're getting really tired of all the property damage you and your brother has been causing," the owner tells him. "Plus all the products we lose because you two break them,"

"Kowai breaks them!" Sokudo makes no hesitation in shifting the blame, the Shedinja doing nothing to object to it seeing as how it's true. But the Kecleon continues his list of offenses.

"Plus frequently disturbing the peace,"

"Kowai's the one always screaming its head off!"

"And let's not forget the _murders_ here and there..."

"Hey, it's not murder if Kowai's hungry!" Sokudo continues to defend. "Besides, it hasn't killed anyone in DAYS!"

"Brother, I'm hungry now..." Kowai whispers darkly, continuing to glare at the Kecleon hindering their entry to the store.

"Shut up, Kowai," Sokudo barks without even glancing at it or hearing what it has to say. "Grown-ups are talking." He crosses his arms as he goes on with his angry protests. "This is bullshit, man! Ban Kowai, but not me!"

"That Shedinja is _your_ shed, Mr. Sokudo, and your responsibility," the Kecleon continues firmly before sighing. "Look, I understand that you're trying to keep him under control, but my employees and customers have spoken."

"Fuck them!" Sokudo interrupts with a scowl, the reptile trying to ignore this as he continues.

"I'm sorry, but until you teach your brother to behave, you're not allowed to come back here."

Silence as the Ninjask and Shedinja continue to glare at the owner before Sokudo looks up at the massive building. This is just perfect, now how the hell will they get their groceries and stuff? Well, there is always one method... Smirking a bit, he snickers menacingly at the chameleon before backing away a bit. "Fine, we'll do this the hard way then. Put out as many Patrat Patrol officers that you like to guard this stupid building, as it'll only make this more fun." He turns away, beckoning a claw to his shed. "Come on, Kowai."

With those rather ominous words, the two leave the owner wondering anxiously what's to come. Kowai certainly seems to be getting excited by the implications as it coos to its Ninjask.

"Brother, does this mean...?"

"Yup," Sokudo mutters, his smirk still present before he glances at the husk. "Tell Yams you're going to be running late tonight, 'cause we got some serious ninja business to attend to."

Hearing this, the Shedinja shivers in ecstasy, already eager for darkness to fall...

* * *

"Kowai, I told you to use Bug Bite to knock them out!" Sokudo hisses sharply at his shed as they hover by the roof of the market that very same night, several bodies of Patrat and Watchogs littering the ground below.

"I did!" the Shedinja exclaims defensively, not understanding why its brother is so angry at it for doing what he told it.

"You aimed for their _throats_!" Sokudo tells it pointedly, staring at his shed in disbelief that it apparently doesn't see what's wrong here.

"So?" Kowai responds carelessly.

"Then you tried to steal their souls!"

"No witnesses..."

"Goddamn it," Sokudo curses. "You're just lucky I intervened or that really would've been murder and a HELL of a lot more difficult to explain!" Shaking his head, he sighs as he gives up trying to explain the situation's severity to his brother. The little psycho obviously doesn't get it. "Whatever, they're still alive and that's the important thing. So let's just do this."

He swoops down to land on the roof, Kowai following him as he carefully removes one of the grates for the vents. Casting a glance around, he slips inside with Kowai following, the stiff husk having some difficulty getting its wings through for a few seconds. Waiting for his brother to catch up, Sokudo holds in a snicker, remembering how often he used to sneak around like this as a Nincada. And this building used to always be his favorite target to practice his ninja skills. Good times...

Casting a glance over his shoulder to remind his shed to remain quiet, he moves deeper into the building's depths, very well familiar with the vent's lay out.

Silent as the shadows, he arrives to his destination and carefully removes the grate, setting it aside. He peeks out to see a couple of Patrats standing around in bored surveillance. He looks to Kowai, and signals for it to stay where it is before he glides down soundlessly behind an aisle, keeping to the shadows as much as he could. Landing delicately on the floor, he presses himself down onto the tiles and slinks around the unsuspecting rodents until he's several aisles behind them.

He casts a glance up at the vents to see his brother watching him intently and he gestures for it to stay put. Carefully shifting through his item bag, he pulls out his favorite item: his trusty Self-Defense Ring that he won as a reward on one of his Rogue missions. Its innocent, bright blue surface engraved with black and white lines and its two lovely pink gemstones concealed its sinister purpose. Projecting from it were two small thorns, both of which are designed to deliver a brutal dose of paralytic poison that'll completely immobilize the enemy.

How Sokudo loves using it...

Putting it around his right claw, he returns his attention to his targets and readies himself. Opening his wings, he lunges...

The two rats don't even know what hit them as they both feel a strike on their necks and they fall instantly, unable to move except for their breathing. They can only watch as Sokudo reappears, snickering a bit before he looks up at the vent, beckoning Kowai to join him. The Shedinja looks at the two incapacitated Pokemon with hunger before Sokudo pulls it away.

"Leave them," he whispers. "We're on a mission, not a hunt. Now come on." He leads the Shedinja through some aisles, looking them over. Sokudo casually picks up some tree sap and berries, as well as other groceries as Kowai looks for flowers and chocolate. It's never done this before, so it doesn't know where it should start and it strays away from Sokudo a bit, alert for any trouble.

Nope, no flowers here, but it does catch sight of something a lot more interesting. Pausing, it takes the object in its mist, purring softly to itself before it hurries to Sokudo. The Ninjask hesitates at Kowai's obvious eagerness and he looks at the item it holds out to him. Immediately, he grimaces and shakes his head.

"I don't think so. I hate that shit." he hisses at it softly, cautious of speaking too loud. At this, Kowai holds the item closer to its body, almost protectively.

"No, it's not for you, silly brother," it tells him in amusement. "This is what I wanna get the Yamask."

Hearing this, Sokudo blinks, looking in confusion at the object, then at Kowai. "It's a can of sweet potatoes..."

"No," Kowai grunts almost impatiently. "It says, 'Yams' right there." Its black mist points out the word and Sokudo shook his head, his claw meeting his face.

"Same difference, Kowai." He looks at the shed firmly. "Look, that's symbolic shit right there, I guess, but you can't give a girl sweet potatoes. It's... eh, whatever." He can tell the husk isn't budging, and he doesn't bother trying to argue with it. Kowai certainly seems pleased as it purrs to the can before tucking it into its body.

Casting a glare to the paralyzed Patrats, Sokudo calculates the time they have left in his head before the venom wears off and he checks what he's gathered in his item bag so far. "Alright, this should be good for a few weeks, long enough for me to teach you how to behave... or how to pretend to behave."

"But, brother," Kowai starts darkly, glancing towards the helpless security, and the Ninjask knows instantly where this is going. "They're witnesses. Should we not deal with them?"

At this, Sokudo winces a bit at the husk's obvious sadistic intentions and he looks towards the rats. Flying over to them, he lands beside them with Kowai following, the Shedinja purring in a more malicious tone. The two officers seem to understand the situation and barely managed to squeak out a few whimpers. Hearing this, Sokudo grunts before looking to Kowai.

"No, Kowai. So long as they don't say _anything,_" -Here, Sokudo casts both rodents an emphasizing glare- "we don't need to worry about them." Sighing, he starts flying for the vents. "You can eat when we get home."

Kowai watches its brother leave before looking to the rats, its black mist streaming forward to run tendrils through its victims' fur. They can't even shudder. "Say anything, and I can hunt you down and feast on your souls..." It coos innocently despite its predatory interests. "I do hope you both say something."

With that, it follows its brother up into the vents, the Ninjask replacing the grate. Glancing down both ways to get his bearings, he heads back the way they came, having a bit more difficulty staying silent with his heavy item bag but doing a decent job nonetheless. Arriving to the outside grate, he pushes it out and flies free, turning to help Kowai get through with its stiff wings. And as soon as that's established, he prepares to make a run for it...

"FREEZE!" A blinding light flashes in their face and Kowai hisses automatically. Knowing they were caught, Sokudo wastes little time reaching into his item bag and pulling out a small ball. He immediately throws the ball to the ground, allowing it to explode into a thick dark cloud of smoke. This sends the Patrat and Watchhog officers into a coughing fit, although some of the more determined ones throw themselves into the smokescreen.

"We got 'em!"

The smoke eventually clears and the officers blink as they stare at their supposed suspects:

Two plush dolls of a Ninjask and Shedinja, both with a note pinned into their backs. Casting confused glances at the others, one of the Watchogs carefully removes the Ninjask's note, squinting a bit to make out the handwriting in the flashlight's beam.

"'Fuck you'," he reads off that one before looking to the Shedinja plush. He removes the note, cringing automatically at the glaring dark abyss sewn into the plush's back. He looks away quickly and squints at this note. "'... If you try to arrest us...'" The note seems incomplete and the Watchog glances in confusion at his colleagues, all of whom shrugs, before he notices small red stitching in the very center of the plush's 'hole'. He leans closer to see that it is words, obviously meant to continue where the note left off.

The words send a chill up his spine, spiking his fur on end. "'... Your souls belong to me...'"

* * *

Yams wonders what it could be that Kowai and Sokudo are doing, as she rests on one of the higher branches of the maple tree. She's been waiting for a couple of hours now, losing herself constantly in her thoughts to keep herself busy. Sighing softly, she closes her eyes and leans back against the tree, about to indulge in a small nap. Although she doesn't truly need sleep anymore, she still holds on to this remainder of her past life, almost as fervently as her mask. Mostly because of the dreams she would sometimes have.

Of her mother's face...

Her father's smile...

The smell of her sister's cooking...

She feels a soft tear come to her eye and she sniffs a bit.

"Why're you crying?" She startles a bit, having been too distracted to sense the approach of someone. Looking over to Kowai watching her tears in fascination, she wipes her eyes a bit.

"Oh, just thinking regular Yamask stuff," she mutters before smiling. "So what were you doing with your brother, if you don't mind me asking...?"

Kowai doesn't answer for a moment, intrigued by the stray tears still falling from her eyes despite her wiping them away. It always did wonder why the Pokemon here had such a strange way of expressing their distress, but it pushes that aside to acknowledge her question. It grunts a bit, no doubt dealing with its lingering hostilities to answer her in a soft voice.

"I got something for you..." it tells her, trying to get used to acting like this. It pulls out the can and holds it out to her, refusing to look her in the eye as it does so. Last time it gave her something, it wasn't really with any personal meaning. But this time, it is and it feels odd to the little Shedinja. Hopefully, it'll get easier with time.

Blinking, Yams looks to the offering and can't keep back a small giggle at the sight of the sweet potatoes. It certainly relieves what lingering sadness she feels and she takes the can delicately. "That's so sweet of you. I love it, more than you can imagine. Thank you, Kowai."

The Shedinja can't help but snort a bit, biting back the urge to make a snappy comment as it remembers its brother telling it earlier to be pleasant, before it looks at her and forces its tone to be as kind as it can manage. "You're welcome..."


	10. Chapter 10: Incident

**Author's Comment: **I was worried this one would take a bit longer to submit as I found my schedule unusually busy. Luckily, my devotion to this story pulled through and I made it a priority. Hopefully, things will settle down again so I won't have to worry too much about the next submission date. Until then, I thank **ASiriusWriter** for the review and I hope to hear from others too! Peace out!

* * *

Chapter 10: Incident

"Ready to go someplace new, Kowai?" Yams asks with a smile, Kowai hurrying over to her eagerly. It's been a couple of weeks after Kowai gave her the sweet potatoes and the progress has only gotten better from there. With pointers from Sokudo and patience from Yams, Kowai has pretty much ceased its hostilities. It stopped growling at her and the sharpness of its tone has all but disappeared! It still refuses to be touched though, and the Yamask is assuming that it'll initiate contact when it's ready, as she certainly doesn't want to risk getting bitten again.

"Where are we going?" Kowai asks as it reaches her, hoping it'll be a place as good as the beach, maybe even better! Although Sokudo has told it time and time again to keep its interest largely on her instead of any items or locations, it can't completely ignore its curiosity.

"There's another cavern nearby the one we found. I think it might be an above-ground entrance or something," Yams explains. "Anyway, I heard that if you go in deep enough, you'll find that the walls and ceiling sparkle."

"Sparkle?" Kowai questions, not understanding.

"Yeah," Yams answers with an enthusiastic nod. "Luft told me about it earlier. He says that if you turn off any lights you bring, the minerals in the rocks will shine like stars. I wanna check it out tonight, and I'm hoping that you'd like to come with me."

"I will come," Kowai accepts the invitation with little hesitation, wanting to see these sparkling rocks for itself.

"Great! Let's go!" Yams begins leading the way before she comes to a sudden stop, Kowai almost bumping into her. "Oh, boy..." She mutters under her breath, looking about for something. "I forgot my bag at Spinda Café. It had some stuff for the trip." She turns to the Shedinja and smiles sheepishly in embarrassment of making this mistake. "You can wait here, I'll be back."

She starts flying back to the café, pausing before looking back to see Kowai following her. She blinks in confusion. "Kowai...? You... You wanna come with me?"

"Yes," Kowai answers as if it's obvious. "Sokudo taught me that I'm supposed to treat you like I would him. Thus, I am going wherever you go."

Yams doesn't say anything for a second before glancing in the direction of the café, unsure of this. "You think you really want to do that? There's a lot of Pokemon there, and with it being nightfall, it's going to be rather crowded."

It pauses for a second before grunting. "I don't care," it tells her. "Sokudo takes me to crowded places all the time."

"Okay..." the Yamask mutters hesitantly after a few seconds. "But please try to be good, don't hurt anyone. Your brother might be able to tolerate it, but as a Rescuer, I can't have you start trouble..." Unpleasant images of what happened at the carnival rushes into her mind and she winces a bit. She wants the Shedinja to stay here where it's safe and out of trouble, but it's clear the husk isn't interested in hanging around a boring maple tree by itself. Maybe if she keeps an eye on it, keep the danger to a minimum.

Kowai makes another grunt, this one in agreement before it begins following her again. It doesn't like the prospect of being near a bunch of other Pokemon, but it's unfortunately used to it. This Spinda Café place can't be any different than what it's already been exposed to, plus it'll be someplace new to explore. Arriving to the café, however, the Shedinja hesitates, growling softly at the sound of activity inside. Yams turns to it with a worried expression, fiddling with her hands.

"Do you still want to go in? It's not too late for you to go back to the sugar maple." she tells it and the Shedinja snorts, glancing at her.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of me..."

"Uh..." Yams drawls with a blink. Sokudo has warned her that this might happen. That the Shedinja's paranoia will go from her lashing out at it to her leaving it behind. The Ninjask told her not to let things like that escalate, as Kowai will get violent if it continues to think that way. It's best to nip it in the bud. "No, it's not that, Kowai. I like being with you a lot, so don't get me wrong. I just don't want you to get stressed out or frightened. That's all there is to it."

"Hm," Kowai grunts almost doubtfully before turning its attention back to the building. "I still want to go in. A bunch of pathetic Pokemon isn't going to ruin me exploring this place."

Its sense of curiosity is a very powerful thing, Yams can't help but notice and she's convinced that that fact was the entire reason she's gone this far with it. A lot of her progress has been made by taken advantage of its curious nature, but she is still hesitating about this being 'progress'. Oh well, there's not a lot she can do to change its mind.

"Okay, here we go," Yams takes a breath before opening the door, a rush of noise and scents washing over them. She watches the Shedinja carefully, making sure it isn't too overwhelmed. Kowai certainly seems defensive and it hisses at the Pokemon standing nearby before flying higher over the crowd, trying to avoid the Pokemon fluttering around and climbing the high beams of the ceiling. Yams follows it before leading it to the counter where Vertigo is filling out drink orders for his Shuckle employee to make, said Shuckle making a show of juggling the fruits as he makes the smoothies.

Kowai watches this juggling, its fascination pushing its agitation aside. It wonders if it can be able to do that with its mist, and decides to try it when it gets home. Meanwhile, while the husk stares at the almost hypnotizing juggle-act, Yams gets the attention of the Spinda owner.

"Vertigo, did I leave my bag here?" she asks over the din and the Spinda takes a minute to answer, swaying from one foot to another as if he's dizzy or drunk. Yams isn't concerned, as this is perfectly normal behavior for the owner.

"A bag?!" he asks in a loud, eccentric voice. "A bag, a bag you left here! The bag that I put out back?"

"I guess," Yams says with a shrug, earning a wobbling turn in response.

"Yes, I'll go get that bag, see if it's yours, yes? Hehehehehee..." He tumbles out through the back, Yams unable to keep back a shake of her head before looking to Kowai to make sure it's out of any mischief. Luckily, the Shedinja's still engrossed in the juggling and Yams giggles a bit.

"You like what the Shuckle's doing?" she asks in amusement, the Shedinja humming a bit as if to indicate a nod.

"It's... interesting." It answers, never taking its eyes off the berries.

"I'll teach you how to juggle one of these nights," the Yamask tells it before waiting for the Spinda. She hopes the Shuckle will continue to keep Kowai busy until the owner gets back, but it seems that hope's too much to ask for as a Mightyena approaches them with a look Yams instantly knows she isn't going to like.

"Hey!" the wolf barks at the husk, getting a hiss from the insect.

"GO AWAY!" the Shedinja screams, Yams shushing it gently as she floats beside it. Looking to the Dark-type, she tries to be pleasant to avoid whatever confrontation he has in mind.

"Yes, sir? Can we help you?"

"Help me, my ass," the Mightyena continues to snarl, never taking his eyes off the Shedinja. "That's the thing that's been destroying places and killing people! And I thought we'd be safe from that little demon here, but it dares to show its face? And without that Ninjask to keep it in line?!"

"Look sir, we don't want any trouble. Kowai's only here with me to get something real quick. Both he and I have no intention of staying here too long." Yams tells him, only to be ignored as the canine bristles his fur at the growling bug and steps closer.

"GO AWAY!" Kowai shrieks, earning another soothing hush from Yams.

"It's alright, Kowai," she tries to assure. "Just go back to watching the juggling; I'll take care of th-"

She can't even finish as the Mightyena lunges at the bug with jaws ready and Kowai immediately puts up a Protect to deflect the blow. Then things quickly escalate as Kowai lunges back, Bug Biting the Dark-type into the scruff of his neck and earning a cry from the dog. Snarling, the Mightyena proceeds to try and shake the ghostly husk off, getting the attention of the other nearby Pokemon.

"Stop it!" Yams calls out, adding to the growing din of protest, although some of the other Pokemon are actively encouraging the fight. Ignoring her own safety, she throws herself in, trying to separate the two. But she is pushed right back out as Kowai finally loses its grip and is thrown into her. But it doesn't care as it rights itself and lunges again at the dog with a shriek, putting up another Protect to stop a countering Assurance attack. It tries again to bite the Mightyena, to take advantage of the dog's type weakness, but said canine nimbly jumps out of the way before launching a Shadow Ball.

Kowai immediately launches its own Shadow Ball, causing another explosion to fill the place with smoke. The Mightyena takes advantage of this cover to lunge out at the husk, Kowai catching this just in time to put up another Protect...

Only for it to dissipate...

It feels the flash of panic for a split instant before swinging around to steal this Pokemon's soul. But the move comes too late as the Mightyena grabs the bug in his jaws and clamps down in a Bite. Kowai can only squeak before falling still.

"Kowai!" Yams screams in panic, tears welling up in her eyes as the canine drops the husk. He then begins to form a Shadow Ball to no doubt finish the helpless bug and the Yamask immediately throws herself between them. On her face is the most heated glare she's ever had to make, and it succeeds in faltering the dog. "Don't you DARE!" She screams before the atmosphere grows dark and a ball of white light emerges from her mask and dances onto the Mightyena in a Destiny Bond.

With that move firmly established, Yams continues to glare at the dog, daring him to attack her. The dog glances at the husk, then at the Yamask before deciding not to take the risk. This Yamask obviously isn't going to budge and he can't hurt the Shedinja without hurting her. Huffing softly, he turns and walks away without another word. Yams isn't relieved however as she turns to Kowai. She can see that several of the Mightyena's teeth has punctured its shell, black mist flowing out of the wounds.

"Kowai?" She gently places a hand on the Shedinja, and she hears a very soft, strained growl.

"Don't... touch..." she hears it whisper and she feels her tears flow more as she takes a shuddering breath.

"I'm sorry, Kowai," she whispers back softly as she gently picks it up. "But I have to touch you to get you to the doctor." Kowai doesn't respond to this, and instead the shed gives a shudder before it falls unconscious. Glancing about at the other Pokemon, she takes Kowai out of the café towards the hospital as fast as she can.

* * *

A long and beautiful ribbon of purple light streaks across the sky, curving and looping in a pre-determined pattern by its source. Said source is Sokudo, trailing the light from his claws in a Swords Dance and using it to draw pictures and words in the sky. He's having a great time; ever since Kowai passed its judgment, he's actually been able to enjoy his free time and tonight is no exception.

Breaking off from the Swords Dance, he pauses in a hover a distance away, looking back at his work. Written in neat cursive across the sky are the words "I'm awesome, motherfuckers!", and he snickers a bit before diving down, his claws turning red in preparation for Fury Cutter. Locking on to his target, he darts passed a tree several times, his movements a blur before he stops, still poised from his last attack.

The tree stands undisturbed for a second before its leaves and branches fall loose and crashes to the ground below.

"Still got it." Sokudo mutters in satisfaction before he hesitates, hearing a voice in the wind.

"Sokudo! Sokudo!"

He turns to see the Yamask rushing towards him and he tilts his head in confusion. "Yams? What're you doing here? You're supposed to be doing your job."

"Sokudo," Yams starts, finally catching up to him, looking out of breath. "There was an emergency!"

"Ah shit…" Sokudo grumbles, rolling his eyes. So much for having a fun night. "Who did Kowai kill this time?"

"No, it's not that!" Yams explains, feeling weird at the fact that Sokudo's first assumption is something extreme like that. "Kowai came with me to Spinda Café and this Mightyena… I guess he thought Kowai was going to hurt someone, because he attacked him! Kowai's in the hospital right now and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Sokudo interrupts, holding up a claw. "Some jackass mutt sent Kowai to the hospital? For how long?"

"Probably a couple of days," Yams answers, watching the Ninjask carefully. She can't tell if the Ninjask looked concerned or hopeful. "The doctors say it's going to be a bit difficult treating a Shedinja, but…I…" She trails off as Sokudo begins to chuckle, a delighted gleam flashing in his eyes.

"This is AWESOME!" Sokudo exclaims happily. "I get a few days of absolute freedom!"

"Wait!" Yams starts, staring at the cicada in disbelief. "He's your brother. Aren't you just a little bit concerned?"

"No, not really," Sokudo answers without missing a beat, a grin still present on his face. "In fact, I'm hoping they won't ever be able to fix it up! Then it'll be out of my life forever!"

"You mean… You're hoping he'll die…" Yams says with a frown, earning an eager purr from the bug.

"If I'm lucky." He tells her, causing the Yamask to tense up considerably. But he doesn't seem to notice as he continues chuckling. "This really is great, the best way to start the night!" He flies closer and pats Yams on the back. "Great job, Yams. Keep it up!"

With an excited whoop, he disappears as he flies off into the night sky and Yams is left trying to comprehend this. Kowai's injured and in the hospital, and Sokudo just went off to celebrate…

She is beginning to think that maybe it isn't Kowai that's the problem in this relationship...


	11. Chapter 11: Always There

**Author's Comment: **Phew, my schedule died down considerably (AKA, I cut corners to lighten the burden), so my story won't suffer as much as I thought the previous chapter. As usual, I'd like to thank** ASiriusWriter**,** Thewinkingme** (Omg, you're a guest now! XD And yeah, Kowai's powerful but not invulnerable! And I'm glad to hear that you're liking Yams so much), and** Mudkipster** (I still love how you always take the time to review each individual chapter. Thanks for the devotion, buddy!). Group hug! *hugs ya guys!*

* * *

Chapter 11: Always There

A soft groan echoes within its mind as it starts to return to consciousness. At first, there is no sensation whatsoever, and then slowly, it starts feeling its spiritual black mist, and then the rest of its body. With that comes pain, a lot of pain, and it can't keep in a whimper. It hears voices, incomprehensible voices slurring and blending together. They sound familiar somehow...

Finally, its vision is the last to return, blurs melting into each other before growing more definitive outlines. Finally, it gains enough clarity for it to see an Audino and a Golduck...

Strangers...

Gathering what wits it can, Kowai doesn't understand what's happening, where it is. All it knows is that there are strangers very close to it. It begins hissing defensively, the Audino saying something it isn't going to bother figuring out. It tries to get airborne to defend itself more easily, but it feels something holding it back tightly against a solid surface and it takes a minute of exploring with its mist to understand. It is restrained to a metal table. In pure panic, the Shedinja screeches at the top of its voice, struggling against its bonds.

"HELP! BROTHER!" it continues screaming, much to the scowling disdain of the Golduck and it ignores the Audino's soothing tone of voice.

"It's okay. Don't you remember us?"

"HEEEEEEEELP!" Kowai keeps on shrieking, whimpering and whining and crying out its fear and distress. "BROTHER, HELP ME! PLEASE!"

"Shhh, it's alright..."

"NOOOOOOO! LET ME GO! BROTHER!" It persists in its screaming and thrashing before another Pokemon rushes in. A blur of black... "Brother?" It pauses hopefully, but it's not Sokudo that hurries to its side. "Y...Yams?"

"Hey, Kowai," Yams says softly in a gentle tone, hoping to quell its fears. "It's okay. They're going to make you better."

Kowai just stares at her, its shudders beginning to die down a bit. After a moment, it recognizes where it is as it scans its surroundings, but that does little else to help as only one thought swims frantically in its mind. "Where... where's my... brother...?"

Yams hesitates, her eyes averting to the floor as she fiddles with her hands. She doesn't want to tell it that its brother is glad it's here and is off having a good time because of it. She doesn't want to hurt it in such a way, break its heart. But she also doesn't want to get its hopes up and then have those same hopes crushed when Sokudo fails to show up. Taking a shaky breath, she closes her eyes and speaks in a whisper.

"He... He's not coming..."

"Wha...?" Kowai starts shakily, not understanding. It can only assume that something must've happened, to prevent its brother from coming. Another whimper escapes it as it feels its panic spike up again. "Why? What... What h-happened to him?!" It tries to jolt upwards, but its restraints refuse to let it. It squeaks and whines in worry, convinced that its brother's in danger, especially when it sees Yams turn away a bit.

"N...Nothing happened... It's..." she starts, forcing herself to get through this painful sentence. "He... He just... didn't _want_ to come..." She looks at it, her eyes watering a bit with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Kowai..."

The Shedinja is silent for a long time, where even its whimpers ceased. It can barely comprehend this, this... abandonment in its time of need. Just like that tree incident so long ago... But somehow, this hurts more. It thought Sokudo had bonded to it, was beginning to care about it. But... Finally, a sorrowful moan comes from the shell as its shudders return, heavier than before. Yams can easily tell that if this husk had tears, it will be pouring from its empty eyes.

"He... he doesn't want... I... I don't u-understand..." it whispers shakily and Yams hugs her mask to keep herself from sobbing alongside the shell. Instead, she tries to ease the blow, although she knows it'll do no good.

"He probably had something to do... Maybe he just..." she trails off on her fib, mostly from the strange choke-like cries coming from the husk that erupts from it for a few minutes before easing off as it speaks.

"You don't have to lie to me, Yams..." Kowai whispers, its voice not angry or sorrowful despite its obvious distress. In fact, its tone is almost as hollow as its body. "I know... I know my brother doesn't care about me..." It makes that choking sound again. "He never cared about me..."

"I'm sorry..." Yams apologizes again, wishing she can give it a hug or something, but knowing it probably won't approve of such a thing, even when bound to a table. The husk says nothing, eventually falling silent even when Remedy steps closer with a jar of blue powder that catches the light. An equally-sorrowful look is on the Audino's face, knowing her patient has just been dealt a heavy blow. Hopefully, she can ease it as she opens the jar and nods to Yams. Yams nods back before smiling gently and reassuringly to the Shedinja. "Go back to sleep, Kowai. Everything will be better when you wake up."

"Don't leave me..." it whispers, knowing she's the only one it has right now.

"I won't," Yams tells it. "In the morning, when you wake up, I'll be there, right beside you."

Kowai stares at her, its body having occasional brief spasms as if hiccuping. It makes no reaction to Remedy taking a handful of the blue powder and sprinkling it over the husk delicately. The effects of the Sleep Powder comes quickly and Kowai gives a soft groan before it falls still and quiet, once more allowing the darkness to take it in its hold. The Shedinja fully unconscious, Remedy gives Yams another nod before taking some of her equipment and getting back to work on treating Kowai's injuries.

Yams gives the unconscious shell a soft touch on the claw before she heard Dr. Quaak clear his throat pointedly. Looking at the Golduck, she sees him gesture her over to him and she follows him out the room to talk. The Water-type wastes no time in getting to business.

"I vas going to ask zese questions to ze Ninjask when he comes here, but seeing zat he isn't, I'll be asking you instead," he starts, glancing at the unconscious shell as his co-worker very carefully patches up the open wounds. Returning his sharp eyes to the Yamask, he sees her nod a bit before he continues. "You are avare of ze Ghost Pokemon Donations?"

"Yes," Yams says. "It's where Ghost Pokemon give up some of their spiritual energy to help fellow Ghosts in need. I believe I donated myself once or twice."

The Golduck nods, satisfied that she understands without it having to be explained to her. He casts another glance at the Shedinja. "Vell, vhile you vere gone, Remedy and I attempted to give ze Shedinja some energy, build up his strength a bit. However, somezing strange happened, somezing I hope you vould be able to explain."

"What?" Yams says hesitantly, wondering what this strange thing is and whether she would have the answer for it.

"You know how ze energy is species specific," he begins. "We gave ze Shedinja some spiritual energy from its own kind. But oddly, its body rejected it quite violently."

Yams feels her heart stop and she can't help but pipe up. "Will he be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Dr. Quaak grunts with a dismissive wave. "Ve had some trial and error finding ze right energy. Ze Shedinja's body rejected all of them, except for one, from a _completely_ different species." He shakes his head. "Zat is very odd and shouldn't be possible."

"What kind of species did he accept?" Yams hears herself asking, very confused and for some reason dreading the answer. Again, the Golduck looks to the Shedinja, his eyes narrowing a bit.

"Spiritomb energy."

* * *

"Why...?"

Yams startles and looks up from her mask, quickly floating over to the Shedinja. It's been so very quiet the past couple of days, its mood failing to improve despite her keeping her promise to never leave from its side. It's been moved onto a bed, but is still restrained, although Yams is convinced that said restraint isn't really needed. The Shedinja has stopped thrashing, stopped screaming at the doctors, stopped doing anything that made it 'Kowai' ever since she told it about its brother's intended absence. It is disturbing and she finds herself wishing time and time again for the old Kowai, the one always exploring and purring innocently one minute, then making death threats and trying to Bug Bite someone's throat out the next.

She at least knows how to deal with that, but this...

"Why what?" Yams whispers softly, hoping she will have the words to cheer it up or at least snap it out of this melancholy state. The Shedinja falls silent again and Yams wonders if the mutter is just a side-effect of the Sleep Powder the doctors always give it to help it rest, that Kowai isn't even awake right now. But she is proven wrong when the husk speaks again, its voice very soft.

"Why does he keep doing this to me...?" it asks sorrowfully. "I... I do whatever he says... I let him do whatever he wants... I try everything to make him like me... I cuddle... I help him with his job... I tried to groom him once and give him a present... And I don't even hurt him anymore..." It gives a whimper. "Yet, he continues to hurt me... reject me... abandon me..."

"I don't think he abandoned you, Kowai," Yams tells it, trying to dispel Sokudo's hopes for Kowai's death from her head as she speaks. "He's still at the house and he'll be there when you get back. Everything will still be the same."

"The same..." Kowai repeats, its mood dampening even more to Yams' dismay. "The same hope that someday... he'll love me. And the same disappointment whenever he shoves me away from a Cuddle Session, whenever he growls at me and insults me. He won't even groom me... What's the point...?"

Yams doesn't say anything for a while and she finds herself getting angry at Sokudo. Yes, this Shedinja has issues but at least it's trying to be good, trying to be lovable. And she feels angry at herself for being unable to help, unable to do anything to make the two get along. In fact, she's taking part in driving them apart, without Kowai's knowledge and no doubt against its will. Her heart sinks and it only gets lower as the Shedinja begins its strange crying.

"There is no point... I can do anything, everything... and he'll still hate me. And if I can't earn _his_ love, the love of my own _brother_... what hope is there for me in this world? I already failed..."

Yams can't really understand that, but it still brings her down. She doesn't want it to feel this way, feel like there's no hope, feel like it's unloved. She resists the urge to reach out to place a hand on its claw, but she does put on the most comforting smile she can pull off.

"Don't say that, Kowai," she tells it. "There's always hope here. There will always be Pokemon who you can trust, who you can love and who will love you back. Maybe..." She takes a breath. "Maybe you can't get anywhere with Sokudo... But at least we'll have each other... right?"

Kowai is silent for a long time before it looks to her, as if thinking to itself. Yams continues to smile comfortingly, wishing to portray all her tender care for the bug without touching it. After a while, it finally speaks up. "It's strange... I've known my brother for my entire existence here and loved him the instant I saw him. And yet, you... someone I've only known for a short couple of months, and hated for most of it... You've shown me the most kindness I've seen, here or the Spirit World." It manages to give a very shaky purr. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yams says, glad she's given the shed some light at the end of the tunnel. The Shedinja keeps purring for a bit before falling still and quiet and Yams wonders if it has succumb to Sleep Powder's lingering effects. She is thinking about giving it a soft pat when it speaks up again, apparently still wide awake.

"Yams?" it whispers softly.

"Hm?"

"How much longer do I have to stay here?" it asks, squeaking a bit as it tugs at the bonds holding it down. Yams feels a jolt of sympathy, but it's relieved by her response.

"They're letting you go tonight," she tells it before quickly adding. "Don't hurt them when they remove your restraints. They only did it to help you."

"I won't hurt them," Kowai mutters. "I have to save my strength for when I get home..."

"What do you mean?" Yams can't help but ask. The Shedinja is starting to gain a familiar dark tone, and she's quite torn on how she feels. On one hand, Kowai is starting to get back to normal. On the other...

"I need to have a little... _talk_ with my brother..."


	12. Chapter 12: Confrontation

**Author's Comment: **Whooo! Very early update, mostly because the next one MIGHT take a bit longer than usual! The last chapter was sad, and it's not going to let up on the drama just yet! Thankfully, the ending of this chapter is a surprise that just might balance things out! Special thanks to **ASiriusWriter** for completely destroying the moon's surface to express how much you're loving this story! :p

* * *

Chapter 12: Confrontation

"Wow, I still can't get over how great your place is," a female Ninjask continues her awe, looking about with sparkling eyes as she and Sokudo sit on the couch. The male cicada chuckles a bit, as he prepares some fancy wine saved just for the occasion into a couple of glasses.

"It's alright, I guess," Sokudo responds in feigned modesty. "Being a Rogue certainly has its quirks, y'know?"

"I'll say," the girl says with a giggle, smiling at him. "Is it as dangerous a job as I heard?"

"Eh," Sokudo answers with a shrug. "I guess a lot of Pokemon would consider it dangerous, but I'm not one of them. So far, I hadn't gotten a job I couldn't handle. 'Cause us Ninjask, we kick ass."

"That we do," The girl nods, taking the glass Sokudo offers to her. "But you were never even a little intimidated?"

"Not really," he tells her. "Trust me, with what I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis with my own brother, there's nothing I'm scared of."

"Oh, you have a brother?" the girl asks with interest. "Ninjask or Shedinja?"

"Shedinja," Sokudo grunts. "It's a clawful, but once I learned Aerial Ace, it's been a breeze most of the ti-" At once, he freezes, staring at the door, his body tense. His new girlfriend's concerned questions seem faint in his mind, outweighed by what he sensed approaching his house. Ever since unlocking his homing instinct towards his brother, it's been easier sensing where it is and where it's going. And it's heading right for the house! "Ah, shit. I thought it'd be gone longer than this..."

"What is it?" the other Ninjask asks, blinking as Sokudo growls softly to himself for a second before looking to her apologetically.

"Whatever happens, I really am sorry. Here..." He trails a bit as he takes her glass and places it on the table hurriedly, prompting her to stand up. "Try to sneak out the back or-"

The door swings open and the two bugs jump, snapping their eyes to the Shedinja floating in. The husk freezes, staring at the female Ninjask sitting next to its brother. Glaring at the shed, knowing what's to come, Sokudo nudges the other bug behind him.

"Kowai, don't you da-"

He can't finish when Kowai screeches louder than it ever had before, lunging recklessly at the two. Sokudo stands firm between them, but his protection doesn't matter as the Shedinja shoves him aside and it barely misses a Shadow Claw aiming for the girl's throat when said girl flies up into the air. The panicked female looks about for an escape route, locking her eyes on the open door beckoning to her. But before she can take advantage of her speed, she feels a horrible chill wrapping around her body and throat, pulling her to the ground and pinning her there.

Struggling and thrashing, the young girl stares in horror at the Shedinja looming over her menacingly, its grip relentless. She can't even choke out a squeak, her frantic mind barely able to comprehend this. She's a Ninjask, and Shedinja aren't supposed to do this to Ninjask! But this one's different, and it snarls at her in a low, demonic-sounding voice.

"I could take your wretched, disgusting soul, you little _bitch. _But then I wouldn't get to see you suffer..."

A white flash comes up and Kowai reflexively puts up a Protect to stop its brother's Aerial Ace, not even looking at its sibling.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, KOWAI! TAKE IT OUT ON ME, BUT LEAVE HER ALONE!" Sokudo shrieks at his brother, trying again to Aerial Ace the barrier in the hopes of breaking through. Kowai continues to ignore him though, intent on killing the Ninjask in its hold and it doesn't even notice when its barrier deteriorates just as the female's struggles for breath start dying down.

Sokudo doesn't waste time and lunges, tackling Kowai to the ground and freeing his female companion. Gasping for breath, the nearly-suffocated Ninjask struggles to her claws, looking over at the two as Sokudo holds the thrashing and screeching Kowai down. She needs no more prompting than Sokudo gesturing for her to make a run for it, and she is out the door, vanishing from sight.

Seeing this, Kowai just about explodes as it grabs its brother and throws him off of it. The Ninjask doesn't even get a chance to recover, when he feels the chill wrap around his neck and pin him into a wall.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Kowai screeches into his face, almost blowing out his eardrums. "HOW DARE YOU BRING A STRANGER HERE! AND THEN LET HER GET AWAY!"

"Of course I let her get away," Sokudo hisses, the hold he was in not actually hindering his breaths. He glares heatedly at the shell, trying to communicate every ounce of hatred he had for it in said glare. "I wasn't going to let you kill her, you psychotic FREAK!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Kowai screams, pushing him tighter against the wall. "I'm NOT a freak and no longer will I tolerate you treating me like one!" It finally pulls him away from the wall and throws him onto the couch, making a point of blocking his escape routes by surrounding him with mist. "How could you do this to me?! I got hurt, and YOU DIDN'T COME TO HELP ME! Then, I come home to see you courting some stupid FEMALE! After all the effort I put into trying to get you to even like me, you give it all to someone you DON'T EVEN KNOW!"

"I was going to know her by the end of the night!" Sokudo snarls. "But now I won't have that chance! You ALWAYS do this! Every SINGLE time I try to have a relationship, or make a friend, YOU always have to ruin it!"

"I'm TRYING to protect you!"

"BULLSHIT! You're just a jealous asshole trying to keep me for yourself!" he barks at it, flaring his wings angrily. "I don't need your fuckin' protection! I was doing fine as a Nincada, so what makes you think I need you now?!" Shivering with rage, his claws tear into the fabric under him. "So FUCKIN' unfair! If you can have a girlfriend, why can't I?!"

"You're supposed to love ME!" Kowai ends the screaming match when its voice snags on a whimper and it turns away a bit. "You're supposed to love me _first_... I'm your brother and you keep treating me like trash. Why can't you protect me like you just did that girl? Why do you love that stranger more than me?"

"Because she's not some psychotic, murderous, sadistic little fuck like you!" Sokudo tells it. "Seriously, why does Arceus hate me so much to do this to me?! Giving me a piece of demented shit like YOU as a brother! Why don't you just go live with Yams, or better yet!" His voice lowers into a snarl, his glare never faltering as his anger takes control of his words. "Why don't you just die? You won't be missed and this world would be a much better place without you..."

Silence comes between them for a long time, Kowai trying to comprehend those words. How... How can its brother say that...? "Is that what you really wanted this whole time...? Is that why you never came...? Because you still want me dead...? I thought you were over that... I thought we had a bond..." More silence comes over them, Kowai pulling its black mist back to its normal size as it stares at him without a sound, an occasional shudder passing through its body. "You don't understand this, do you? You don't understand the gravity of what you just told me..."

Sokudo still said nothing, only growling at the husk without any sign of backing down.

"First the tree, then something like this... I needed you, brother... I needed you to be with me, but you weren't... Yams was, but you weren't." It stares at him for a bit, its shudders getting stronger as it turns from sorrow to rage. "The Yamask, she saved my _life_, Sokudo," Kowai whispers with a soft growl. "Which is a lot more than you have ever done for me..." Sokudo again says nothing to this, still refusing to let up his sharp glare towards his shed as it turns away a bit. "And the whole time I was there, I kept wondering if you ever cared about me... Just once, just a little..."

"No," Sokudo tells it coldly.

"And you never will, I believe," Kowai continues to whisper. "And if that's the way it's going to be, then there is no reason for me to stay with you." At this, the Ninjask feels his heart leap a little. Can this be the moment it finally leaves him? But his heart sinks right into his stomach in fear as the Shedinja finishes. "There is no reason to keep you_ alive_, you obviously are of no use to me and my goals here."

"You _swore_ that you wouldn't hurt me..." Sokudo hisses softly in an attempt to hide his fear, narrowing his eyes maliciously.

"So I did," the husk mutters. "And that's the only reason you're still here right now. Otherwise, you would've been just another little morsel." It snorts as it turns back to him, its growls growing louder. "I don't know if you're aware of this,_ dear brother_, but I can see your soul. And right now, it's a very succulent-looking thing. Don't. Tempt. Me."

With that, the Shedinja floats out the door without another word, slamming it shut behind it.

* * *

"Kowai?" Yams pipes up a bit as she arrives by the hill overlooking the beach. "What're you doing here? I thought you were going to talk to your brother."

"I did..." the Shedinja whispers and Yams instantly hears the sorrow in its shaking voice. "And it was terrible..." It whimpers as the Yamask floats up beside it, watching it with sympathy as it continues. "We had a fight..."

"Everyone has a fight with their brothers and sisters," Yams tries to reassure it. "It's just the way th-"

"No," Kowai interrupts. "It was very bad... He brought a stranger, and I chased her out... I didn't hurt him... but... we said some things... He said that he never cared about me... that he wanted me dead... And that this world would be better without me... I..." Its voice hitches a bit. "And I threatened him... told him that I wanted to eat his soul... I didn't mean it..."

Yams is quiet, averting her eyes to the ground. She doesn't know what to say in further reassurance, as these two's version of "sibling rivalry" is much more intense than she's ever had to deal with. She thinks back to her relationship with her own sister, back when she was alive. Yes, they had fights here and there, but they got along very well. These two on the other hand...

"Kowai," she starts, wishing to tell it a story. "There was once a couple of Tasks given to us a while ago. It was between a Ninjask and Shedinja like you two. They didn't get along, at all, and they tried to get rid of each other..." She swallows a bit. "The Shedinja wanted to us Rescuers to banish the Ninjask from his village, and the Ninjask wanted the Rogues to attack his brother." She shakes her head. "Luft and I didn't want to play any part of it, but from what I heard, they both ended up hurting themselves as well as each other... Very badly..."

She looks to the husk, her eyes flashing in the moon a bit. "I don't want the same thing to happen to you two," she tells it. "I don't want you two hurting each other like this. So..." She fiddles with her hands a bit. "So I'm going to try to help you. You can stay with me for as long as you want, but I need you to go back and talk to Sokudo again. No screaming, no fighting, just talking. I'll be there to watch and give my feedback, and I'm going to make this work."

Kowai looks to her, its whimpering and shuddering dying down a little bit as the Yamask continues. "I can't guarantee that he'll love you by the end, as I don't think it'll be that simple. But I _can_ try to give you two a better understanding, and pave the way for a functional bond between you two. Does that sound good?"

Silence comes for a while before Kowai looks away. "Yes... I guess I can do that. I just want him to love me, and to show him that I can be a good brother."

"And I'm sure you can be. You're a wonderful Pokemon if given the chance. Quirky and violent, sure, but you got potential if helped along the right path. We just need to get Sokudo to see that potential, to lead you down that path, and give you that chance. A _real_ chance, this time." Yams says.

"You're putting a lot of effort into this," Kowai whispers. "It doesn't effect you, but still you try to help..."

"Of course, I'm a Rescuer," she says with a joking tone before taking on a genuine and affectionate tone. "And because I love you, Kowai. I want you to be happy, with all aspects of life."

The Shedinja looks back at her for a moment before a soft purr comes to its throat. "Thank you." Yams is about to nod in response when the husk did something completely unexpected, something that almost implodes her very mind:

It leans against her and cuddles...


	13. Chapter 13: Guest

**Author's Comment: **Yeah, a little late, as I predicted. Not only did I have a busier schedule than usual, but I've been having issues with this chapter, trying to figure out how to write out and divide the intended scenes and whatnot. But now that the hard part's out of the way, enjoy this chapter! Again, thanks to my reviewers, who have been so loyal so far, **ASiriusWriter**, **Miaomii**, and **Thewinkingme**!

* * *

Chapter 13: Guest

"It's a bit smaller than your house, but I think you'll be able to make yourself comfortable." Yams tells Kowai as she leads it towards her home, the Shedinja silent as it follows. The husk has made an attempt to return to its own home earlier, only to have Sokudo slam the door in its face in blatant rejection. Because of this, the Yamask has decided to stay true to her offer in allowing Kowai to stay at her house until it feels confident that Sokudo has simmered down enough to talk rationally without the two breaking out into another fight. According to the husk, the Ninjask usually stays upset over things like this for a few days, so Yams knew she'll be taking a bit of a commitment.

Especially in regards to Luft...

She must've made the Shedinja promise not to hurt him ten times already, although Kowai made it perfectly clear all ten times that it's just barely accepting the deal. Yams tries to put confidence in the fact that the shed agreed nonetheless, and that both she and Luft can handle it if the situation gets too out of hand.

Arriving to the house, Yams knocks out of courtesy, secretly hoping her partner's not home so as not to start the introduction of the house on a stressful note. "Luft?" she starts as she opens the door a little. "We have a visitor."

Unfortunately, Luft is home and the balloon floats over to her, curious, before backing away as Yams opens the door wider to let Kowai go in first. The husk spots him and immediately begins hissing, backing away defensively only to feel itself bump into Yams. Said Yamask was expecting this reaction from the get-go and is quick on reassuring it, petting it gently on the wing.

"Shhh, it's okay," she whispers. "Remember what I said earlier, about our agreement? He's my friend and my Rescue partner, so there's no need to be aggressive. Plus, you've already met him before on the beach, and you know he means you no harm."

"I still don't like him..." Kowai snarls at the Drifloon, flying closer to prompt Luft into backing off. "GO AWAY!" The Drifloon in question cringes, twining his arms nervously as he casts a worried glance at Yams. The little ghost sighs before she tries again at soothing the bug, placing herself between the two.

"Kowai, behave," she tells it. "He lives here, and he's kind enough to let you stay for a few days." At this, she glances at her friend and sees him nod in agreement, albeit rather fearfully. As much as the Shedinja scared him, he isn't one to turn down a Pokemon in need, and he knows he's safe as Yams won't let the shed hurt him. Kowai snorts before glaring at the balloon, obviously wishing horrible things on him, but it eventually begins to soften its growls a little.

"Just keep him away from me," it grumbles.

"Don't worry," Luft tries to appease. "I'll give you your space."

"For your sake, you better," Kowai hisses before making a point of flying off into a hallway and pressing itself into the farthest corner. Yams and Luft exchange glances before sharing a sigh, Yams then offering a smile to her friend.

"Thanks for letting me keep him here, Luft," she starts. "I promise I'll teach him to behave."

"I hope so," Luft said with a half-hearted smile. "I don't wanna have to be afraid in my own home..." But already mental images of the husk stalking him and waiting for the opportunity to rip him open comes to his mind, and he shudders.

"Don't worry too much," Yams comforts. "You won't even know he's here."

A loud crash comes from the hallway, causing the two to startle. Floating over quickly, they see Kowai hovering over a broken vase of flowers, snarling at the shattered pieces. "Stupid plant." It then takes notice of them before growling at Luft, turning away as its mist begins to writhe in agitation. Yams quickly floats over, casting a sad glance at the poor vase and flowers, before trying to take Kowai's mind off of this unpleasant situation.

"Want me to show you your room?" Yams asks, Kowai looking to her, its growls dying down just a little bit.

"Room?" it questions back in a confused tone and Yams blinks. Apparently this Pokemon never had a room of its own before, and Yams wonders if she can take advantage of the novelty to calm the Shedinja down.

"Yeah," she answers with a nod before taking its claw. "This way." She leads it out the hall, Luft quickly moving out of the way to keep his distance from the angry bug before looking at the vase.

"I'll clean this up..." he mutters before delicately picking up the pieces.

"Thank you, Luft!" Yams calls out, not wanting her friend to feel too dejected as she leads Kowai to a door. "This is our guest room. You can make it yours while you're here." She opens the door and smiles at the Shedinja. Said husk floats closer, but doesn't explore the room like Yams expected. Instead it gives a soft hiss, obviously still displeased with Luft's presence in the house, before it begins clawing at the door frame. Yams' eyes widened at this blatant act of property damage and she can't help but make her shock known. "Kowai, what're you doing?"

"Marking my territory," the insect grunts, stopping the clawing and rubbing the length of its stiff body across the marks like a cat Pokemon would, leaving its scent and some residual black mist into the claw marks. It snorts pointedly before glaring in the direction of the Drifloon. "If he goes passed this mark, I'm free to rip him to pieces."

With that, it flies into the room and slams the door.

Yams cringes at the slam before taking a breath and turning to head back to her friend. She offers him a comforting smile as she helps him gather up the smaller shards the Drifloon is having more difficulty picking up. Luft returns her smile with a more nervous one, wrapping his strings around the rejected flowers. When he speaks, it is in a soft mutter.

"Only for a few days?"

"Yeah," Yams reassures. "Just long enough for Sokudo to cool off. They've had a pretty bad argument..." She casts a glance at Luft, and gives her best buddy a nudge, seeing how anxious he is to have Kowai here. "Hey, I'm sure at least _some_ of Kowai's attitude towards you wasn't personal. He was in a pretty bad mood even before he saw you, since Sokudo refused to let him back in their house." She nudges him a bit more, a smile growing on her face as she tries to cheer him up. "Why don't you take a rest? Maybe Kowai will be a little more pleasant in the morning, y'know, after he's had some time to cool off too. " She knows that most likely won't be true, and Luft seems to know that as well for he gives a nervous chuckle.

"Somehow, I doubt it. But good night anyway." He says as they throw out the remnants. Yams nods a good night as well, taking the flowers from Luft to put them in a new vase. With nothing more to say, the two ghosts go their separate rooms, both wondering just what the next few days will bring.

* * *

"YOU TOUCHED ME!"

"I'M SORRY! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I SWEAR!"

"KOWAI, STOP IT! YOU PROMISED!"

To say the house is in chaos will be a grave understatement. Luft didn't mean to brush against the Shedinja; he was just minding his own business as he was passing through the kitchen door, having no idea the Shedinja was on the other side exploring the cabinet just above him, and he felt the fluff atop his head just barely come in contact with the husk. And that small contact, which might have gone unnoticed by most Pokemon, was enough to send the enraged husk after him in a bloodlust. The Drifloon can't even remember how long he's been chased through the house, it feels like forever. It doesn't help that none of the defensive attacks he manages to pull off in his panic is working with Kowai's Protect.

Yams is desperately trying to break up the pursuit of her best friend, screaming at Kowai, who is screaming at Luft, who is screaming in general. Several fragile items have met a gruesome fate, being knocked off their perches to shatter on the ground. Even their curtains have been torn from missed Shadow Claw attacks. Luft's convinced he's soon to meet the same end.

Everything only remotely begins to calm down after Luft throws himself out the door, daring to glance back to see the husk snarling at him from the entrance. The Shedinja then makes a show of clawing out its territory on the door's frame, a clear message that Yams doesn't approve of.

"Kowai, you can't kick Luft out of the house!" she scolds. "He lives here!"

"Not anymore!" Kowai snarls, looking back to the balloon and lunging for him when Luft fails to retreat further. "GO AWAY! This is MY territory!"

"I already said I'm sorry!" Luft again tries to apologize, hastily dodging another Bug Bite before dashing behind a tree, whimpering as he peeks out at it. The Shedinja continues to snarl at him, even when Yams throws herself between them, a stern look on her face.

"Kowai, I'm serious!" she tells it. "Luft's my best friend and I'm not going to let you hurt him!"

"You're acting just like my brother!" Kowai snarls. "Protecting a stranger!"

"He's NOT a stranger!" she tells it. "I've known him for my entire afterlife, and even _you've_ met him before! He's been trying to be nice to you, so please," She forces herself to take a breath, trying not to let herself get caught up in her anger and risk making the situation worse. "Please stop attacking him. You promised me you wouldn't, so stop..."

"But he touched me," Kowai hisses, shaking its body as if trying to remove the dirty feeling.

"It was an accident!" Luft explains in fear, still hiding behind the tree although he knows it won't be much of a hindrance if the husk chooses to press the attack. "I didn't even know you were there and brushed you on accident. Seriously, I don't think this warrants the death penalty!"

"Shut up!" Kowai snaps at him, obviously not taking anything he has to say to heart. "Your words mean nothing here."

"Kowai, please," Yams takes another deep breath. Calm and patience, that's what is needed to smooth out this misunderstanding. That and a little bribery. "Just relax, and go back inside. I'll give you a Cuddle Session if you let Luft back into the house, okay?"

At this, the husk glares at her then at Luft. Ever since that first cuddle, it's enjoyed having the Sessions with Yams. Sure, it felt a lot different than the cuddles with Sokudo, Yams not being nearly as warm to the touch and it always had to be careful not to push the smaller ghost too much off balance. But it's comforting nonetheless and, unlike Sokudo, Yams actually cuddles back. But is said cuddles worth letting this balloon share its new home, however temporary said home is?

With a snort, it gives one last warning hiss at Luft before going back into the house, grumbling and growling to itself.

The sigh of relief seems to radiate from both Yams and Luft at the same time, the two slumping in relief. Turning to her partner, she floats closer to look him over for any injuries. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Luft mutters, clearing his throat a bit. "More than a little shaken, but fine." He deflates a bit, for although he gets to live to see another day, he's still anxious about going back inside. Seeing this, Yams floats closer and gives her buddy a hug, figuring it's the least she can do for her friend's troubles. Both yesterday and today were very stressful to say the least, particularly for Luft. A couple times, she had begun rethinking about letting the unstable Kowai live here, but she knows the husk has nowhere else to go.

Hopefully, her friend can hold out a little bit longer...

Luft is quiet and still in his friend's hug for a minute, staring at the door to see the husk floating there ominously, its black mist seeming to take up the entire door frame. Maybe it's Luft's fearful imagination, but he swears he sees its eyes flash a chilling red. Regardless, it's clear the shell isn't pleased with Yams hugging the Drifloon and Luft feels an unpleasant chill through his round body. True, the husk has always disliked the two hugging during its stay here and always made the effort to separate them, even when Yams explained to it that the gesture is merely one of friendship and nothing more.

It doesn't seem to make any difference to the husk.

Gulping slightly, the balloon again clears his throat before pulling away from the hug, forcing himself to turn his attention to the Yamask in front of him rather than the demonic shell wishing him dead by the door. "Hey, I... I'm going to head off for a bit. Catch my breath with some fresh air, y'know?"

Yams nods softly, completely understanding. "Okay, buddy. You've been under a lot of stress, so take as long as you need."

"Thanks," the Drifloon mutters with a half-hearted smile, inflating himself just a bit to float higher into the air. And as he goes, he casts an uncertain glance back to see Yams heading back to Kowai, who immediately cuddles to her protectively. Luft was going to force himself to dismiss it as a regular Cuddle Session when Kowai glares back in his direction, cuddling tighter to the Yamask in an obvious gesture. Luft can't keep in a gulp, knowing that while he can get away from his stresses for the day, he'll be free game when he gets back...

He wonders if he'll be able to rest well in his own room tonight...


	14. Chapter 14: True Colors

**Author's Comment: **So sorry for another small delay! I was working on a rather amusing picture of Sokudo and Kowai on deviantART. Anyone interested in seeing can visit my profile (this also includes exclusive pictures of Sokudo and Kowai as Hamtaro-style hamsters, as well as Kowai wearing a tutu! :D) . As my obligatory tradition of Reviewer Mentions dictates, I'd like to thank **Thewinkingme** and **Miaomii** for their reviews. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

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Chapter 14: True Colors

It has been such a long and tiring day, spending the vast majority of it fearing for his life. True, Kowai hasn't made the extra effort to stalk him as he retreated, but it still drove the little Drifloon to near paranoia. And as he floats towards the house, the feelings only got worse the closer he gets to the snug adobe he calls home. Arriving to the door, he casts a glance at the claw marks on the frame, gulping slightly. This is his own home, the place he knows and loves more than anywhere else in the world, so why does it feel like he's intruding?

Shaking himself off, he hesitantly opens the door and peeks inside. It looks to be all clear and he forces himself to relax as he moves slowly towards his room. Casting a glance through the open door of Yams' room, he sees the other ghost sleeping soundly, hugging her mask like a stuffed doll. There is absolutely no sign of Kowai, and Luft knows that's a good thing. Hurrying to his room so as not to push his luck, he closes the door and sighs heavily. Floating to his bed, he gingerly lays himself down and deflates with relief. Like all Ghost Pokemon, he doesn't need sleep, but he developed the habit from his time with Yams. Plus some rest never really hurt.

Casting his eyes across his room, he settles his gaze on the window, watching the outside world. It is a near-clear night, some dark clouds beginning to form near the shining moon. He can make out some of the bare branches of the tree near their house, said branches moving in the wind and almost scraping against his window. It is surprisingly calming for him, and he closes his eyes to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

But before he can slip into the deeper state of unconsciousness, he feels a sudden chill in the air. He is going to dismiss it as a draft, when the chill gets worse and he swears he can feel... _something_. Something very cold, the sensation very difficult to explain. The closest he can place it is that it feels almost like a touch of smoke or mist...

Immediately after registering that, his eyes snap open and he gasps, his body inflating more than usual in fear. There it is, the familiar silhouette of Kowai, the moon's light highlighting the right side of its body in silver. Luft immediately jolts back, only to feel the black mist hold him in place, and he automatically cast a glance to the door... To find it the way he left it: closed and locked. And his door is pretty squeaky when opened, so he should've heard this bug come in here. His fear and confusion skyrockets and the words pour out of his mouth faster than he can think.

"How'd you get in here?!" he squeaks, struggling to pull away from the husk's grip. Kowai doesn't answer him, and he can only assume that the bug was waiting for him here the whole time, waiting for him to return, waiting for him to be vulnerable. Whimpering, he quickly casts another glance at the door and takes in some air to call for Yams. If there's anyone who can get him out of this mess, it's her...

Unfortunately, Kowai has been anticipating this and pushes a tendril of mist against his tiny mouth. Then comes a strange and horrible sensation as Luft accidentally inhales some of the mist. The freezing feeling overtakes the entire inside of his body, inducing sharp needles of pain throughout. His resulting coughs are muffled and only makes the pain worse.

Fixing his eyes back on his captor, he knows he has little way out unless he does something! But Shadow Ball and Ominous Wind will be impossible to pull off in his restraints and the black mist practically gagging him. Explosion is always something he did as a last resort, plus he knows very well it won't do anything to Kowai with its Wonder Guard abilities and will only serve to make him extremely vulnerable and destroy his room in the process. Maybe...

His yellow X begins to glow in preparation for Hypnosis, but his concentration is cut off as he lets out a muffled cry, the mist tightening its grip mercilessly. The air is almost squeezed right out of him and he struggles even harder in vain. He's getting so desperate for escape that he almost misses the husk's contemptuous whisper.

"You have no idea..." it hisses. "You have no idea how much I want you gone. Dead..." Another tendril slithers from the main body of mist, slinking towards Luft's face. The tendril then sharpens into a spike, moving a mere inch from the balloon's body. Luft can't keep in another whimper, trying to keep his body from shuddering in case it'll bring him in contact with that spike. "... _Impaled_ right through that air-filled body of yours. I do wonder what would happen if I were to pop you, balloon."

Luft forces his eyes away from the spike to the Shedinja, his voice muffled, but comprehensible enough. "You promised Yams..."

"I promise all kinds of things," Kowai taunts in a mocking tone. "Who says I have to keep them, especially if nobody has to know about it?" It lets out a dark purr, the spike brushing its tip against Luft's face, right in the center of the X like it is nothing more than a bulls-eye. Luft can't help but clamp his eyes shut, tears beginning to well up from his eyes as Kowai continues in sadistic pleasure. "Beg for your life, balloon. It may put me in a merciful mood..."

Luft has no qualms with doing just that, willing to do anything if it'll save him. Beginning to cry, he tries to keep his words from shaking as he doesn't want to make them even more incomprehensible than they already are, and risk the shed misinterpreting them. "P-Please... don't... I... I'll do a-anything... just... don't... d-don't hurt me..."

Kowai purrs even louder, pressing the spike against Luft's body, almost enough to pierce his skin. This gets the Drifloon to sob even more, cringing involuntarily as he waits for the end. But it doesn't come and instead the husk continues to taunt him. "Anything...?"

"W-whatever you want... please... Just... Just..." He can't get himself to finish, his crying is so strong, and this prompts a low chuckle from the shed.

"Very well," Kowai agrees before its tormenting purrs turned into sinister growls. "Leave Yams alone. Leave this house, and never come back."

"What?" Luft help but squeak, his eyes opening again to stare up at the empty shell threatening his life.

"You heard me," the Shedinja barks softly. "I don't want you anywhere near Yams. She's mine and mine alone."

Luft can't help but feel a spark of anger within his body, almost forgetting the sharp spike threatening to stab into him. Who does Kowai think it is, telling him to break off a years-long friendship? Is it really this paranoid and delusional? But his indignation falters when he remembers his precarious position and he manages to keep his voice calm. "Why do you feel so threatened by me?" he asks softly, hoping to reach some rational side within the other ghost's mind. "We're just friends, and it's going to stay that way. I don't have those kinds of feelings towards her, and I was the one who actually encouraged her to approach you that first time..."

At this, Kowai snorts at his lack of immediate compliance, its black mist writhing. "I don't care about any of that." It goes quiet for a bit, swaying softly from side to side as it stares at him. "You're the only one standing between me and her. We both know she'll always choose you over me if the situation calls for it. I can't let that happen and the best way to ensure that is to get rid of you..."

"You promised Yams," Luft again insists despite Kowai's dismissive response to it last time. Surely, this thing had some amount of honor... right?

"You want me to keep my promise with her, then get out so I _won't_ have to hurt you..." Kowai responds as an answer to his unspoken question, pressing its sharp weapon even tighter against his body. Luft knows that even a twitch will be enough to finally pierce him and for the first time, he allows himself to glare defiantly at the husk. If there is anything he won't do, it's sever his friendship with Yams; he owes it to her, his own life be damned!

So he gathers every bit of bravery he has and speaks in the most determined voice he can pull off. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm _not_ leaving Yams. Do what you will, because at least I know I didn't abandon her in the end."

Silence as Kowai glares at the balloon, more mist pouring from its body and eyes and before Luft can react any further, the spike finally pierces his skin. He feels his body give a jolt, feels the rapid escaping of air and he instinctively gasps in an attempt to replenish the air. But it's no use and he manages one last defiant glare before everything goes black...

Kowai snarls softly at the deflated balloon, the spike piercing the body melting away into its original mist form. Taking the limp body of the smaller ghost in its mist, it takes Luft to the window, opens it, and unceremoniously throws the Drifloon out. It watches as the deflated body drops slowly to the ground, the wind blowing Luft into a thick shrub. Snorting, the husk closes the window, turns away, and heads for the door. Unlocking and opening it, it peeks out to see the halls empty and it exits the room. Turning the lock so as not to arouse too much suspicion, it closes the door behind it and heads for Yams' room.

The Yamask is still sleeping blissfully, unknowing of the fate of her friend. Floating towards her, Kowai watches her for a minute, waiting for any signs of stirring. There is none and it relaxes before cuddling up to her, purring contently that it now has her for itself...

* * *

The horizon is beginning to just turn a lighter blue as morning approaches, the sun having yet to show itself. The songs of Bird Pokemon begin to start its first few notes, and Yams gives a soft moan as she proceeds to wake up. The first thing she hears is a familiar purr right by her ear and her eyes flutter open to see Kowai huddled against her. She can't stop a soft smile and she hugs the husk affectionately, earning an even louder purr.

"Good morning, Kowai," she greets before yawning, the shed responding only with an eager nuzzle. She giggles a bit before hugging it tighter and returning its nuzzles for a minute. She then pulls away with a stretch and floats up into the air. Kowai quickly joins her, following her as she exits her room towards Luft's door. She knocks softly. "Luft, you awake?"

Of course, she gets no answer and she knocks again. "Luft?" Still nothing. She goes to open the door to find it locked, and she tilts her head a bit. "Huh, he's still sleeping. I won't bother him. The little sleepy-head can get surprisingly grouchy in the morning." She jokes before she flies towards the kitchen, Kowai resuming its purrs. It can't help but feel satisfied and proud of its accomplishment and how Yams is none the wiser. Trailing after her, it begins to explore the kitchen for the countless time as Yams busily starts fixing her breakfast. "Today's the day, Kowai."

"What day?" the Shedinja asks as it sticks its head into a large pot, the kitchen appliance echoing its words.

"We're going back to Sokudo," she tells it. "We're going to set things straight between the two of you." She looks to the husk and giggles as it starts flying around with the pot still on its head, bumping into the wall occasionally although it's explored the house enough times to get familiar with the lay out. "You still want to go back home, don't you?"

"Yes," Kowai answers before removing the pot with an innocent coo. "And you can stay with us, right?" It can't help but ask, wanting nothing more in the world to have the two Pokemon it loves the most living in the same house as it. It can already imagine the endless cuddles to be had!

This gets another giggle from Yams as she shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I have to stay here. This is my home, and I can't leave Luft to pay all the bills." She goes over and nudges the husk playfully. "But thanks for the offer."

Kowai merely grunts, knowing that she'll eventually change her mind when she realizes the Drifloon's gone. Purring at the thought, it nudges its muzzle against her before hurrying to the door, eager to reunite with its brother. True, the Ninjask is more than likely to still be angry, but he should have calmed down enough to accept it back into the house by now. Yams hurries after the cheerful husk, floating out the door and right past the shrub that hid the deflated, unconscious body of her best friend...


	15. Chapter 15: Compromise

**Author's Comment: **I'm feeling exceptionally good today, so another early update (plus, this chapter was pre-written) ! Don't act like you're surprised! :P I'm very much surprised by the rise in popularity in this story, and I like to thank all my readers for getting this far! And special reviewer thanks goes to: **Thewinkingme** (so far, you're the only one that caught the magic word from the last chapter, so extra congrats to you ;D ), **Psychotic Ralts**, **ASiriusWriter**, and **Miaomii**! Thank you for the encouragement! :D

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Chapter 15: Compromise

A soft, almost delicate knock comes to the door and Sokudo sits up from lounging on the couch simply to glare at it, sensing just who it is out there. If that demented piece of dead discarded skin thought he would welcome it with open arms, then it's much stupider than he thought. He doesn't need that psycho in his life and he makes no hesitation in taking to the air and turning his back on the door. He is about to head go towards his room when another voice pipes up, one he isn't really expecting.

"Sokudo?" It is Yams; what's she doing here? He turns back to approach the door and swings it open. There is his husk, right behind the Yamask. It shocks Sokudo how the Shedinja is allowing her near their home, but he pushes the stunned feelings aside as he snorts.

"Why are you still alive?" he spits to his sibling, immediately earning the anger of not Kowai, but Yams.

"That's enough, Sokudo!" she reprimands harshly, startling the Ninjask. "You two are going to talk this out, right now!"

Sokudo soon recovers from this unexpected change in the Yamask, and he hisses at the little ghost, his claws twitching. "And who are you to tell me what to do, you little bitch! I don't have to talk to anyone, so both of you can just fuck off!" He slams the door in their face, grumbling. But that proves useless as Yams merely floats through the door.

"Sokudo," she says more calmly. "We really need to talk, so if you can just-"

"I'm sure you being in here is illegal," the Ninjask growls. "Trespassing, Breaking and Entering, something along those lines."

"It's not illegal if I'm invited by someone who lives here." Yams points out, opening the door and allowing Kowai to come in. The Shedinja has remained quiet for the exchange, but now it speaks softly in a pleading voice.

"Please, brother..." it says with a whimper. "I don't want to upset you anymore. Just tell me what I need to do to fix this."

"You can leave and never come back," Sokudo hisses, crossing his arms, and Kowai's reminded of how it spoke those same words to the balloon last night. The similarity is uncanny... "That's always a favorable option."

"But it's not going to fix anything," Yams says, floating between them. "Kowai really wants to make this work, Sokudo. Just give him a chance."

"A chance to do what?! Eat my soul?!" the Ninjask snarls before huffing and rudely turning his back on them. "I'm sorry, but I like my soul right where it is, thank you." He begins flying off when Yams darts in front of him, much to his irritation. Just whose side is this ghost on? Apparently Kowai's, as she makes known when she continues.

"Sokudo, that's not being fair. He's never going to do that, and you know it."

"Oh really?" Sokudo rolls his eyes in skepticism before looking over his shoulder to glare at the Shedinja floating silently by the door. "Why don't you tell her what you said to me a couple of nights ago. Something about how fuckin' delicious my soul looked..."

At this prodding, Kowai looks away shamefully, whimpering once more to itself as it tries to speak. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, brother... I... I was just angry..."

"And you're angry all the time, for the littlest things that don't go your way," Sokudo grunts before falling quiet for a minute, starting to give in to this so-called talk as he knows they'll never leave him alone otherwise. "Remember before, back when I first learned Aerial Ace? And I told you how you needed to control your temper?" He snorts a bit. "It looks like you haven't made any progress since then."

"I'm sorry," Kowai repeats. "I-"

"And there you go again," Sokudo interrupts, finally turning back to the shed. "You always say how sorry you are without ever truly being sorry. You're like a fuckin' Chatot, just repeating bullshit without meaning! So excuse me for not believing you when you say 'sorry'."

More silence comes between them, Yams watching this interaction carefully to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. It seems relatively peaceful now, but she knows it can escalate without warning and is fully prepared to intervene at an instant's notice.

"You're no different, brother," Kowai whispers, getting an insulted growl from its sibling. It continues nonetheless. "You always say how you're trying to like me... But you don't really mean it."

"Bullshit, I don't mean it." Sokudo says defensively. "I let you cuddle with me, and I put up with all kinds of your shit!"

"But you still wish death upon me..." Kowai whimpers sadly, remembering the stabbing words the Ninjask said to it. "That's not trying..."

Sokudo doesn't seem to have anything to say to that, glaring at the husk before casting his eyes away. When the Ninjask makes no further move to respond, Yams chimes in quietly.

"Sokudo, wishing death to someone is a horrible thing, no matter how much you hate them. Honestly, I thought you'd know better than to stoop that low..." She looks to Kowai. "And Kowai, the same applies with you, as you're guilty of the same thing, whether to Sokudo or to strangers." She glances back and forth between the two. "At least on this, can we have an understanding?"

"...I guess," Sokudo grumbles reluctantly after another tense moment of silence, before sighing a good majority of his irritation away and looking to his shed. He swallows, finding the next few words hard to say as he rarely ever uses them with sincerity and thus has little practice. But he pushes through his pride to make it happen and his voice comes out incredibly soft. "I'm... sorry... for saying those things to you. I was out of line..."

"Thank you, brother..." Kowai mutters. "I accept your apologies." It lowers itself a few feet, trying to appeal to its brother and make its next words all the more genuine. "And I'm sorry for what I said as well. I have no wish to ever harm you or eat your soul. I was angry and the words just happened. But know that you're much too precious to me and I love you too much to ever carry out such a threat, brother..."

Sokudo exhales sharply, staring hard at the Shedinja as if still not believing its apologies to be sincere. Kowai lowers even more with a whimper, trying everything in its power to earn the Ninjask's approval. And it seems to work as Sokudo eventually gives a slight nod, accepting the apology as truthful.

"Kowai..." Yams begins in a gentle pushing tone. "The death threats towards others. What do you have to say about them?"

Kowai says nothing for a moment, obviously hesitant. Death threats towards strangers is such a big part of its behavior, something its nature practically demands on a daily basis. What can it say to this...? It decides to settle on its true thoughts. "I... I don't know... I really am genuinely sorry for threatening you, brother... but strangers..." It turns away, indecisive for a moment. "I can't..."

"Of course you can't," Sokudo grumbles. "You're too much of a psycho."

"Sokudo," Yams says in a warning tone, earning a grunt from the Ninjask. Returning her gaze to Kowai, she smiles gently. "Kowai, I don't expect you to change who you are overnight. Sokudo shouldn't expect that either. But you can try, just like he'll try to keep himself at least a little pleasant." She looks at the Ninjask. "Right?"

Sokudo huffs and looks away, but he says nothing to deny her words. After a moment, he casts a glance at Kowai. "I never asked for a brother... much less a crazy one like you."

"Sokudo." Yams again warned and Sokudo waves a claw at her before crossing his arms loosely.

"But... I guess I can afford to be a bit nicer to you... Stop calling you a freak and shit..." He sighs a little bit, tapping a claw on his arm. "Gotta set an example, after all."

"That's a great way to look at it," Yams tells him with a smile before looking to Kowai. "Anything else you wanna add?"

"Brother," Kowai starts, floating closer to its sibling. "You know I dedicate my life to you, and ask for little in return... But if there's one thing I want out of this... I just want you to be there for me whenever I need it. To help me when I get into trouble, instead of running away and abandoning me."

"I didn't abandon you, Kowai," Sokudo said softly, looking away. "It's not like I packed my bags and left while I still had the chance."

"You know what I mean, brother," Kowai whispers. "I don't expect you to have as much devotion towards me, as I do you. But a little of your protection, your concern would be nice..." For a long time, the Ninjask just looks at the husk from the corner of his eyes. Kowai slowly inches closer, whimpering softly in a pleading tone. "Please, brother... I want to know that I'm safe so long as you're around..."

Another long moment of silence before Sokudo finally looks at it again, his glare softening just a little bit. "Alright, how about another deal...? I promise to be there for you, and not just go off and celebrate every single time something bad happens to you. I'll look out for you, and watch your back." He pauses for a second before adding. "Figuratively, of course."

"Thank you," Kowai whispers, incredibly grateful even though Sokudo raises his claw to silence it.

"In return," he emphasizes. "You're going to stop chasing away everybody that comes in contact with me. Despite what everyone seems to think, I'm not a _complete_ loner, Kowai, and it'll be nice to be able to make friends and date girls without fear of you slicing their throats open."

"But they could hurt you..." Kowai utters its worried objection and Sokudo is quick on the response.

"UNLESS, I say so. If I genuinely feel threatened or if I plain don't like someone, I'll let you know and then you can keep them away from me at your heart's content." He reaches out a claw. "Deal?"

Kowai stares at his claw for a minute, contemplating this new deal. It doesn't want to have Sokudo interact with strangers for more than is needed, but it knows it has no real arguments against it. It tenderly reaches out a tendril of mist, wrapping it gently around its brother's claw. It feels a shuddering jolt go through the other bug's body, but Sokudo doesn't seem too bothered as he stares at the black tendril, poking it with his free claw before pulling his arm away.

Immediately, Kowai floats closer and presses up against him, purring. "Thank you, brother."

Sokudo grimaces at the cuddle, casting a glance at Yams before pushing the shell away, forcing himself to be a bit more gentle with the gesture than usual. "Not now, Kowai. We still have a visitor, and that counts as 'public'."

"Okay," Kowai coos before switching for a more willing target and cuddling up against Yams, pushing her a bit too hard at first before adjusting the cuddle to accommodate the smaller ghost. Yams is more than happy to hug the husk encouragingly, casting a beaming smile to Sokudo before freezing. The Ninjask doesn't look so good. He is staring at them, wide-eyed and his mandibles gaping to their full extent, revealing the sharp-toothed mouth below. He's shivering quite violently.

"Sokudo, what's wrong?" she asks in concern.

"Brother?" Kowai pipes, worriedly pulling away so it can look at its brother. Instantly, it is by his side, pressing against him not to cuddle, but to stop the shivering. "Brother?! Are you okay?!" It whimpers and whines as Sokudo doesn't answer, his shudders still persisting despite its efforts, and it nuzzles into his neck. "Brother!" It begins to shudder too, starting to cry as it finds this to be incredibly unfair. It finally had Sokudo agree to help strengthen the bond between them, and now some unknown distress could be taking its brother away from it. It wonders if that means another trip to the doctors...

Finally, after a long minute of letting what he's just seen sink in, Sokudo finally responds, his shrill voice startling the husk into backing off of him.

"HOLY SHIT!"

* * *

"Luft! I'm back!" Yams calls out as she enters her home, content and relieved that things worked out well between the two brothers... or as well as it can be, anyway. Now it's on to the business of spending quality time with her best friend. She has been feeling as though she was neglecting the poor Drifloon, always concerned over Kowai's well-being during its stay. But now that everything's back to normal, she can resume her social activities with Luft. Already, she's thinking of visiting the Sparkly Rock cavern with him today.

Floating to his room, however, she pauses in confusion to see the door is still closed. A quick test on the knob shows it is still locked. Funny, Luft's not one to sleep in late... She gives another knock to wake him up.

"Hello? Luft? Can I come in?" she asks, only to receive no answer whatsoever. She waits a few more minutes, just in case, before slowly floating through the door. "Luft?"

Blinking, she expected to see the sleepy-head snoozing but instead sees the room empty, the bed slightly messy as if someone has been laying on it for a few minutes before getting back up. Seems Luft decided not to use the blankets, but it's still strange, as Luft always fixes his bed no matter how minor the wrinkles. And he doesn't really lock his door when he's out either...

Shaking her head, she decides that Luft must be trying to protect his stuff from Kowai's curiosity while he's gone to wherever he wandered off to. When he gets back, she'll share the news that Kowai has returned to living with Sokudo again. The Drifloon should be more than happy to hear the news.

Floating back out the room and heading for the kitchen, she takes a Berry Popsicle from the freezer before going into the living room. Flopping herself down on the couch to relax, she indulged in her little treat as she waits patiently for her friend to return...


	16. Chapter 16: Search

**Author's Comment:** It's genuinely making me excited at how far I've gotten, especially since this story is far longer than anything I've ever written (not even school papers had this much work put in)! It's also my current most popular story out of the three and I have you guys to thank for it! Especially my kind and encouraging reviewers: **ASiriusWriter**, **Thewinkingme**, **Miaomii**, **Psychotic Ralts**, and **Something dictionary related**.

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Chapter 16: Search

"Luft!" Yams calls as she floats through Tao Village, looking about frantically. "Luft! Where are you?!"

Her voice is starting to hurt for shouting so much, but she pays it little mind as she continues to call. It's been a couple of days since she found Luft's room empty and at first, she thought the Drifloon was avoiding the house during the day, returning late at night when she slept and leaving early in the morning, all to get away from Kowai. But surely, he would've told her about this and even if he chose not to, he knows Kowai's stay was only going to be for a few days. It's been well past 'a few days' by this point, so why isn't he coming back?

Her anxious mind had instantly jumped to the conclusion that something bad must've happened to him. That maybe he was attacked or kidnapped or something on one of his frequent outings. With that in mind, she searched everywhere, starting from the house and moving in a thorough spiral. So desperate her search was that she began looking in unlikely places, like under leaves and in the undergrowth.

There was nothing.

"Excuse me, sir?" Yams rushes to a Dustox fluttering nearby, keeping a short distance to avoid the toxic cloud the species is infamous for. The insect looks at her boredly, not at all bothered by the tears running down her face as it's a common sight among Yamask. Sniffling as she wipes said tears, she tries to keep her voice from shaking as she continues. "Have you seen a Drifloon by chance?"

"Yeah, they're all over the place," the Dustox grunts carelessly.

"No, I'm looking for someone in particular," she tells him. "A male Drifloon named Luft? Maybe you've heard of him? He's from Team Lonely Balloon and-"

"Look," the Dustox interrupts irritably, obviously not in a talking mood. "I don't know any Luft, and really," He scoffs as he glances around. "You Ghost Pokemon all look the same to me, so unless your friend's wearing some kind of special scarf or anything..."

"No..." Yams answers, more than a little discouraged. "He isn't..."

"Then I can't help you. So beat it." the Dustox hisses before giving a violent flutter of his wings to release more toxic dust. Yams has no choice but to carry on her search elsewhere, getting similar results from anyone she asked. No sign of Luft anywhere.

"Luft! Please! Come back!" she yells to the sky, hiccuping a bit as she rests against the side of a building and slides down to the ground. She wonders if this is somehow her fault. That Luft is angry at her for something, and is punishing her a bit. No, that isn't like him, but she finds herself wishing for that option instead of this. At least then, she'll know how to solve it and will be assured that Luft would be okay...

She is very tired from her near-endless search and she must've dozed off for a bit, for when she opens her eyes, she sees that the night is beginning to fall. Kowai will be expecting her soon, but she doesn't want to abandon the hunt for her friend, no matter how fruitless it's proving. Weighing the situation in her head, she sighs shakily before forcing herself back into the air, floating slowly towards the sugar maple tree. Maybe she needs an outside opinion about this, some insight on what she should do next. True, the Shedinja despises the balloon, but maybe it can push that aside to help her.

Although that does bring to question...

Yams shakes her head, dispelling that thought rather quickly. Kowai made a promise to her and while that husk is notoriously unpredictable, she always trusts it to keep its promises, especially with her. Sure, there were close calls, but nothing truly harmful has ever been done to Luft during its time over.

All of this is making her head hurt and she forces herself to look on something of a more positive nature. Maybe she won't get anywhere tonight, but at least she'll have some comfort to help her through.

Arriving to the sugar maple, she settles onto her favorite branch, looking up through a gap in the canopy towards the stars. But whilst in the past she would focus solely on their beauty, all she can see now is Luft's face being formed by the constellations. The tears are coming back and she tries to choke back a sob. She is going to run out of tears at this rate...

"You're crying again," a voice pipes up and she glances to Kowai watching her. Making no attempt to hide her sorrow as she usually would, she only offers a nod as the husk flies up beside her, watching the tears in its usual fascination. "Is it Yamask stuff again?"

That is typically what she always wept about, so it comes to a surprise when she shakes her head this time around. Swallowing a bit, she opens her mouth as if to speak, but nothing comes out for a moment. And when her words do form, they are incredibly soft.

"I've... I just don't know what to do..." she starts before it all comes pouring out. "Kowai, Luft's gone missing and... and I don't know where he is." The Shedinja makes no response, just staring at her as if waiting for her to continue, which she does. "I've been searching here and there and... and_ everywhere_. I can't find him. And it's worrying me, 'cause... 'cause he never does this and... and I'm b-beginning to th-think th-that..." Her words are getting shaky with sobs and she takes a minute to try and calm herself.

It takes a bit longer than she expects and when she does, she looks to the shell beside her. "I think something bad happened to him..." She sniffs and wipes at her tears. "D-do you think I'm being silly in jumping to that conclusion so soon?"

"Yes," Kowai answers shortly as if it's obvious, earning a startled laugh from the Yamask, who didn't expect its answer to be so blunt. But then, what is she expecting? This is Kowai, after all.

"You're a little too honest with me," she mutters with a soft smile, not realizing the irony in that sentence. "I just can't help it though... Luft and I have just been through so much and..." She sighs, beginning to recover from her crying. "I guess you wouldn't understand, but he really is special..." She hears a soft hiss come from the shed and she quickly adds. "Not in that way, but... But he's my best friend for a reason. For a long time, he's been my only friend..."

Deciding to let it all out in an effort to ease some of her pain, she looks down at her mask, brushing it softly. "I remember his face being the very first thing I saw when I first became a Yamask... I don't remember what caused my death too well... just a falling feeling, but..." She lets out a soft breath. "But I do remember how lost and alone I felt after coming back like this, and he was the one to help me through it... My family rejected me as Ghost Pokemon like us don't exactly have a good reputation... My friends left me... so he was the only one I had. I couldn't really make other friends; apparently they're all afraid of getting too close to me..."

"Why?" Kowai can't help but pipe up, not really interested in how much Luft meant to her, but genuinely interested in learning about Yams herself. Despite what its tone would suggest, it doesn't want her having any friends other than itself. But it can't understand how anyone could be terrified of a Yamask, said ghosts being genuinely harmless creatures. Of course, it recalls how it had reacted upon first meeting her, the spark of fear that came whenever she advanced on it. But that was a different kind of fear, one it knows doesn't really apply to most other Pokemon.

"They're afraid of what'll happen when I evolve," she mutters. "Although I have no intention to actually evolve, ever..." She glances at it. "Being a Yamask is very difficult, Kowai. Most Ghost Pokemon, like you and Luft, don't really remember a past life or never had one. But we do, and our memories are very vivid. It's... painful... and that's why you always see me crying." She gives a sharp exhale almost resembling a half-hearted laugh. "That's what I meant by 'Yamask stuff." Her 'giggle' fades off to be replaced with a somber frown. "But when we evolve, we forget. We forget our previous lives, the pain and sorrow... but we also forget the good stuff too... And most of the time, we become monsters." She sighs. "That's why they're scared..."

After a long moment of silence, a soft smile grows on her face. "But Luft wasn't scared... He took me under his wing, taught me the ways of Ghost Pokemon, and even allows me to live in that house, which was originally his own. I remember a few times, I would get confused by his kindness towards me. I've never met him before in my past-life... and I doubt he knew who I was. Yet, he devoted his time and effort in making sure I'm safe and comfortable and happy... And knowing he's gone, I... I don't want to lose him, lose my best friend, my big brother... I quite literally would've been lost without him."

More silence comes, Yams looking back up at the stars, the self-imposed constellation of Luft bringing another tear. "I have to find him, at all costs. I owe it to him..." She returns her attention back to the Shedinja, her voice taking on a beseeching tone. "I know you don't like him, Kowai, but he really means a lot to me. So... So if you can help me look for him... I'd really like that."

Kowai snorts as she expects, and it turns away a bit. It holds no further interest in the balloon; he's dead and that's that. But it supposed it should at least pretend to lend a helping claw, help Yams get through this whole grieving process thing even if it'll go nowhere. Although that does make it think... If Yams looked everywhere as she claimed, then she must've looked through that shrub and she should've seen the Drifloon's body. Maybe she hadn't looked that thoroughly, or maybe...

It keeps in a small growl, and instead looks back to Yams. "I will help."

"Really?" Yams asks, her face practically glowing. She hasn't expected the husk to actually agree to help her, but it does raise a great amount of hope for her, as well as strengthen her love for this bug. Despite its hostile feelings towards Luft, it is still choosing to help her find him.

Unable to help herself, she throws her arms around it and nuzzles her face into the shed. Kowai hesitates, always used to being the one that initiates these cuddles and it feels strange having someone else snuggle to it first. But it isn't going to complain and it purrs as it returns the cuddle, its black mist wrapping around her in an embrace.

"Thank you, Kowai," she whispers. "Thank you so much."

She gets an even louder purr in response, Kowai starting to learn that maybe getting rid of Luft had some unexpected benefits... like Yams needing a shoulder to cry on and it being the only one providing such support. Maybe it _should_ let her make friends so it can get rid of them, and then console Yams about it. Yeah that sounds good. Savoring this, it refuses to let her go for a bit before allowing its mist to pull away. Still, Yams holds on for another minute before pulling away herself, wiping her face.

"Come on, let's get searching..." she prompts, hoping the Shedinja will be willing to start right away. Luckily, it gives an approving grunt before flying off... much to Yams' confusion. "Where are you going?"

"Splitting up," it tells her without stopping to look back. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"True," Yams says, feeling her heart race with gratitude. "Thank you again..."

Another grunt in response and Yams hurries off in another direction, instinctively calling for her friend with new-found hope. And once she is out of sight, Kowai lets out a small growl as it changes course and flies straight for Yams' house. It needs to check if its hunch is correct and plan its next course of action accordingly. Hopefully, the corpse is still there so it can properly dispose of it. Then there can be no more doubt in the future.

Catching sight of the destination on the horizon, it flies faster, bee-lining straight for the shrub directly under Luft's window. Glancing about to make sure it's alone, it sees nobody and it then proceeds to push through the leaves and branches. Nothing so far, but it's sure the Drifloon was a bit deeper than this. It pushes farther still and continues the search as thoroughly as possible, expanding its mist to better its investigation. After a long few minutes, it pulls out of the shrub, shaking some leaves off of it. A snarl is rising from its throat as it has confirmed what it suspected all along...

The shrub is empty...


	17. Chapter 17: Assault

**Author's Comment:** I hate it when I type out a huge amount of progress and then when I go to save, the site logs me off and I lose what wrote and have to start all over again. That's what happened to this chapter, so that's why it took a bit longer than usual (I was going to have it submitted yesterday). Oh well, can't be helped and I still got the chapter done, so yay, I guess. In other sad news: the deviantART group that inspired the creation of these characters closed and I'm sad now. Don't worry though, the series will go on despite that hefty set-back. As usual, I'd like to thank my readers for sticking this long and for the reviewers that never cease to brighten my day no matter how down I get: **ASiriusWriter**, **Thewinkingme**, **Miaomii, tainothewarden, **and** beanboy21.**

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Chapter 17: Assault

_"We both know she'll always choose you over me if the situation calls for it. I can't let that happen and the best way to ensure that is to get rid of you..."_

_"I'm not going anywhere and I'm not leaving Yams. Do what you will, because at least I know I didn't abandon her in the end..."_

There is nothing but pain and fear in his mind for a long moment, and he can't even tell what's real and what's not. Images and voices of what's been happening, what's been heard, over the past few days have been flashing in his mind, on and off, in no particular order. He can't even remember where he is anymore and his mind is still a jumbled mess even as it attempts to ease his confusion with another memory that flashes in his mind...

_A sharp gasp erupts from his body, but it still fails bring him any kind of relief as he lays within the shrub. Barely gaining enough consciousness to realize what has happened, he can't believe he's still alive; he was certain Kowai would've finished him off. He doubts the Shedinja felt a last minute flash of remorse, so why...?_

_Of course... It didn't know any better and thought he was already dead. After all, it's a very common misconception that popping a Drifloon will result in instant death. True, it may lead to other causes like starvation and exposure to the elements, but the popping generally isn't severe in and of itself. It's just something the adult Drifblim spread to keep young Drifloon from messing around with pointed objects. He's incredibly lucky the Shedinja is one of the Pokemon that bought into the myth, but how long will it last? It might come back at any moment to check on his body..._

_Instinctively, Luft reaches out for something, anything that can help him! His string brushes against one of the shrub's leaves and he takes it and presses it onto the open wound. Wincing, he forces himself to press even tighter before inhaling._

_It hurts, a lot, and he cringes as he feels his body expand and hears the escaping air hissing past the leaf. Pressing tighter still, he keeps inhaling desperately, breathing as heavily as he can before using his other string to drag himself out of the shrub. Gathering his strength, he shakily forces himself into the air and nearly collapses again in a wave of weakness. He needs to preserve what little energy he had, and he seeks out a gust of wind strong enough to lift him. Crying out in pain as he finally locates one, he feels his light-weight, barely inflated body catch the gust and is whipped in the direction of the doctors._

_As he leaves, he casts a glance at his home... his former home. He wonders what he should do after seeking medical attention. It'll no doubt take several days to recuperate and Yams would be very worried until then. And how would Kowai react to seeing him alive if he did return? And how would Yams' react? She'll ask questions and the answers could lead to more trouble. After all, what Kowai said is true; she will pick him over it anytime and if that happens..._

_He would shudder at the thought if he can, and focuses his eyes back on the distant hospital. He'll just have to recover as quickly as he can and hope the future will hold something bright for him... And Yams..._

That's where the memory chooses to end, but it's done its job of answering his unspoken questions... He's in the hospital now. Groaning a bit as he shifts in the bed he's being kept in, he nonetheless still finds himself trapped in the realm between Dreamland and the Real World. More unpleasant images flashes in his mind, apparently not through with him just yet. Among the more disturbing ones is Kowai looming over him, the distant scream of Yams in the background and he knows something horrible is happening. But is it really happening?

It doesn't help him that their surroundings had taken the form of a hospital room and he wonders if he's waking up or if he's already awake. His eyes are locked on the Shedinja in front of him, its empty eyes boring into him. Its hissing voice whispers into his ears, despite the husk being several feet in front him. At first, its words are incoherent, each syllable holding a prominent echo, and he shudders as its voice slowly gain some clarity to give its warning.

_Say anything, and you'll pay..._

Startling awake, truly awake this time, Luft tries to recover from the terrors of his dreams before casting his eyes around. Yup, he's still in the hospital room, as he should be, but there is no sign of Kowai. Calming his breaths as best he can, he tries to relax as he falls back into his pillow. Staring at the ceiling for a while, he listens to the soothing songs of some distant Krickitune outside to further settle him.

Lifting a string, he gently feels around where his wound once was, feeling a patch there instead, its edges held to his skin by some sticky solution. His heart-shaped hand lingers on it for a while, knowing he'll have to get used to it for some time until he heals completely. No doubt he'll be bed-ridden until then too. How he wishes Yams was here to keep him company... Sighing softly, he finds it difficult to get back to sleep, lest his mind be plagued with terrors and confusion once more. To keep himself busy, he scans his temporary room several times.

It is reasonably dark, the corners and parts of the walls coated heavily in shadow. He doesn't mind, for like all Ghost-types, he takes comfort in the darkness. It makes him feel safe, especially after the hell he's been going through lately. After a while of staring at the same things, however, he feels his eyes begin to droop again and he would've given in if movement hadn't made itself known.

Jolting up, he cringes in pain and places a hand on his patched up injury. However, his eyes remain locked on where he's sure the movement came from. There is nothing for a very long time and he is about to dismiss it as being his paranoid imagination when he sees more movement from another patch of shadows. His eyes darts towards it and again he sees nothing.

His mind is playing tricks on him again, he's certain of it!

Closing his eyes and taking a breath to ease his fears, he reopens his eyes and he can't hold in a startled cry.

For floating several feet in front of him is Kowai, the husk snarling as its black mist begins to form in a familiar spike. How did it know he was here? Well, it's not stupid; there's only one place a reasonable Pokemon would go if they've just been stabbed. But how did this shed get inside the hospital, much less his room?! Remedy and Dr. Quaak would've never let it come in here! Well, this thing is brother to a ninja...

In pure fear, Luft wastes no time verbally asking these questions and forces himself to fly out of the bed, which is in perfect timing as Kowai's mist stabs ruthlessly into the blankets and mattress. Wincing in pain, the Drifloon knows he's barely recovered enough to defend himself and certainly won't be able to put up much of a fight. But he has to try and, with his body shaking, he gathers his strength into a small Shadow Ball. He doesn't want to have to resort to this, resort to harming another Pokemon, but he has no choice. Launching it, he feels a flash of relief when Kowai counters with its own Shadow Ball, an explosion taking place on impact. Taking advantage of the resulting smoke, he worries not for what damage he's caused to the room and flies out the window and into the outside world as fast as he can.

Unfortunately, he's not to escape his fate so easily. The Shedinja lunges after him and he just barely manages to float higher to dodge a Bug Bite that would've no doubt torn him to pieces. Instinctively surrendering himself to the wind, Luft feels himself get blown out of the enraged Shedinja's murderous trajectory once more, the spontaneous gusts making his movement erratic and unpredictable. Gaining enough control to retreat in the direction of his house, he knows that he needs to find Yams, at all costs.

Keeping his eyes locked on his opponent, he keeps up trying to dodge although his weakened body objects to every movement and soon begins to hinder him... He cries out when the husk manages to sink its jaws into one of his strings, its black mist gripping onto the rest of his body. Struggling and thrashing, he can no longer feel pain in his state of absolute terror, and that helps in allowing him to pull free, although his string is almost pulled right off. Throwing himself into another gust of wind, he is thrown in the opposite direction, Kowai snapping the air where his body used to be.

Gasping for breath, he feels the patch covering his wound begin to loosen and he presses his hands on it firmly to prevent further undoing. Pushing himself to the limit, he streaks across the sky with Kowai close at his tail. The husk hisses in frustration as the Drifloon pulls ahead of it, its mist surging forward to catch the naturally faster Pokemon. But luckily, Luft sees this and dropped towards the ground to get out of range.

There it is, his home. And is that...? Yes, it's Yams floating towards the door and he tries to call out. But his voice isn't working, his breaths too heavy for even a squeak. Gathering every bit of anything he had, he pushes himself past his limit and within seconds, he crashes to the ground, unable to go on, and he cringes as he waits for the ending blow.

"Luft?"

That voice is the single most beautiful thing he's ever heard in his entire life. His body heaving as he opens one of his eyes just a peek, he sees Yams hurrying over to him. Tears of joy and relief beginning to flow, he lifts a shaking string off the ground as if to reach out for his best friend and he practically melts as Yams gathers him up in her own arms, burying her face into him as she shares his tears.

"Luft, I'm so glad you're here! I-I've been so worried, I was looking everywhere for you and... I th-thought that... I thought..." She trails off as she cries, nuzzling her shaking friend before pulling her face away examine him. He's in terrible shape, his fluff ruffled and his body almost deflated in pure exhaustion. And then she sees the patch and she starts crying again. She knew something bad happened to him and now... She hiccups a bit but gathers herself enough to ask the much-needed question. "Wha... What happened...?"

Luft opens his mouth to speak when he hesitates, staring at Kowai floating a ways behind the unaware Yams. He feels an impulse to tell the Yamask the truth, to tell her the horrors the Shedinja has put him through. But he knows that will be a fatal mistake, for both of them... And this is a fact Kowai makes very clear when black mist begins pouring from its eyes, the husk shuddering with rage. One wrong move, one wrong word, and it will all be over... Swallowing a bit, Luft feels himself get torn; he had to do something, but he can't endanger Yams...

"I..." His voice hitches, still staring at the Shedinja before continuing. "I... I ran into trouble... And... Kowai over there..." He clamps his eyes shut, the lie difficult to let out. "... saved... me..."

Yams looks back at Kowai, startled of the husk's presence and of what she just heard. The Shedinja had immediately ceased its threats upon gaining her attention and it turns to her as she speaks in disbelief. "Kowai, you... you saved him?"

Kowai glances at the balloon, knowing what he's doing. Well, at least this balloon is smart, it'll give him that. It certainly doesn't want to hurt Yams, but it will if it'll prevent her from leaving it forever, which will no doubt be the result if Luft ever speaks the truth.

Snorting softly, it floats over to them, Luft tensing at the approach. "Yes, I did." it mutters, going along with the Drifloon's lie, and Luft closes his eyes tight in both the exhaustion and at the conflicting emotions within him. And the little balloon's feelings doesn't get any better when Yams gestures the Shedinja to give her a cuddle. Kowai is still for a moment, glancing again at the near deflated ghost before floating up against the Yamask. She holds the husk tight in a hug, whispering her thanks in its ear over and over again before burying her face in its neck.

The shed is barely paying any attention to her words of gratitude, glaring at the balloon laying on the ground mere feet from it and it sneaks a sharp-tipped tendril of mist inches from his face. It is a clear message, one which holds a disconcerting familiarity that sends chills through his body:

_Say anything, and you'll pay._


	18. Chapter 18: Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Comment: **Sickness can be such a bitch... I really am sorry for taking so long, but you know how it is when you're not feeling well. But I still got the chapter out though, so I hope you guys don't hold it too much against me *tries to ignore the angry mob gathering outside my home*. As goes my usual Author's Comment, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing and for being so patient with the unexpected wait:** ASiriusWriter**, **Thewinkingme**, **Miaomii, tainothewarden, Psychotic Ralts, **and** Mudkipster.**

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Chapter 18: Calm Before the Storm

Luft winces as Yams gently places him on his bed, shifting a bit to get as comfortable as he can given his condition. Yams offers a gentle smile as her maternal instincts take over and she carefully tucks her buddy in like she would a child. The Drifloon smiles back at her for a few seconds, but he never fully takes his eyes off of Kowai floating by the door. The Shedinja has been silent for a while, just following after Yams as she tends to her buddy. And it is still silent as it stares back at him, and he can feel the darkness radiating off of it... well, moreso than usual.

"Th-thanks, Yams..." he mutters, taking his eyes off the shed for only a second.

"You're welcome, Luft," Yams coos over him before glancing over at Kowai, easily noticing Luft's discomfort as he's been watching the Shedinja the whole trip into the house, but she's not really surprised by it. Although Kowai supposedly saved him, that doesn't necessarily mean that everything is suddenly friendly between them. Knowing the Shedinja, it only saved him because she asked for its help. But even considering that, she feels this is the first step in getting these two to get along. That'll certainly make her job and her relationship all the easier. "Kowai?"

"What?" the shed replies, turning its attention to her.

"Thank you again for helping him," she says, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. "It really does mean a lot to me."

Kowai merely grunts, staying where it is as it returns its gaze to the debilitated balloon. Yams holds in a sigh as she too picks up the continued hostilities. She'll have to work on it a bit more and she knows just how to do it: rewarding it for its good behavior.

"Would you like a Cuddle Session later?"

Did she really have to ask? Kowai purrs immediately, its menacing aura disappearing almost entirely. Yams feels another smile grow on her face and she nods. "Cuddle Session, it is," she tells it. "Just let me get Luft comfortable first." She gets another grunt as she turns back to her friend, fixing his messy fluff a bit. "You want me to get you something? Water? Berries?" She giggles a bit and nudges him a bit. "Hot cocoa?"

"I'm... I'm good..." Luft mutters softly. "Just give him his cuddles... please."

Yams tilts her head a bit, surprised that Luft is rejecting hot cocoa. He loves her hot cocoa! And why does he sound so worried? Yeah, it's obvious he's still scared of the husk, but the tone of those words sounds off even when considering that fact. Glancing a bit at Kowai before back at Luft, she sees the Drifloon's eyes fill with desperation, practically begging her to go give Kowai its cuddles. It confuses her, and she makes it obvious as she speaks up.

"Are you sure? I'll be more than happy to make you some, with marshmallows, whip cream, and everything. Even a cherry!" she insists, earning a shake of her friend's head.

"Really, I'm fine... I... I just..." He glances at Kowai again, his mind working for an excuse and coming up empty. "I... don't want to talk about it... Just... please, give him his cuddles..."

Silence comes between them, broken only by the anticipating purrs from Kowai. Looking back at it once again, she gives a half-hearted smile to reassure it of its cuddles before she returns her attentions to Luft. "Buddy, you know you can tell me anything, right?" she asks in concern, worried that something's going on that she doesn't know about. "You're acting strange and I'm worried..."

"Really, I'm f-fine," Luft persists in his lie. "I'm just a little... y'know... a little tired right now... I guess..." That certainly seems to make sense; after all, Pokemon rarely act themselves when tired and in pain. Surely, Yams would buy it. The Yamask stares at him silently for another moment and he holds the gaze as steadily as he can, hoping desperately that she won't question more. Kowai's patience can only last for so long! Luckily, fate is watching over him as Yams chooses not to push and nods softly.

"Alright, I'll believe you..." she tells him, not sure if she believes that statement herself. Only one thing truly matters, she supposed, and that's getting her best buddy back to full health. "You rest, and build up your strength." She readjusts his blanket before pushing herself airborne to float over to the Shedinja. "If you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

"I will..." Luft mutters as he watches her go. Kowai seems about to follow when it pauses to look back to him. The Drifloon can't help but tense up even though he knows the husk won't dare try anything when Yams is here. But the intention is still there and it's made even clearer when the insect whispers in a dark hiss.

"Don't think this changes anything, Drifloon. As soon as I get an opportunity, your life will be over." It turns away, flying down the hall with one last snarl. "I'll make sure of it this time."

There is silence from the balloon for a second as he comprehends this threat, or rather _promise_, as best as he can. And once it hits him...

"Yams! Can you PLEASE close and lock my door?!"

* * *

Dawn is beginning to break its morning light over the scenery, soon overtaking the humble little home Yams and Luft call their own. Wincing as sunlight hits his face, Luft drearily opens his eyes and blinks. He's still alive? He was convinced the shed would return in his sleep and finish him once and for all. Why did-

Movement from beside him startles him out of his grogginess and he whimpers before seeing that it's Yams, sleeping at the edge of the bed with her head rested on her folded arms. She must've stood guard over him during the night, even well after Kowai must've left. The balloon feels a huge wave of relief and gratitude wash over him and he relaxes into his pillow again, listening to the Bird Pokemon singing outside.

It's been a while since it was like this, just the two of them lounging around in peace and quiet. No overly-pushy Ninjask telling them what to do and no psychotic Shedinja threatening his life on a daily basis. Sighing contentedly, he cringes at the pain and reminds himself to breathe more gently. He wonders how long it'll take before Yams will let him out of bed. He's only been confined to the bed for a little bit and he's already starting to get restless.

Speaking of Yams, the Yamask starts to wake up, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. She still looks tired, but she smiles upon seeing her friend awake. "Morning, Luft. How're you feeling?"

"Hurting a bit, but I'm okay," the Drifloon answers with a return smile and Yams feels her own relief fill her. Her buddy certainly sounds a lot better compared to last night, isn't shaking and stuttering at all. That's good. And it gets better when Luft's eyes give a sparkle. "May I have some of the hot cocoa now?"

This earns a giggle from the Yamask and she nods happily, floating out the room to the kitchen. She rummages through her appliances before preparing her homemade cocoa, just the way her mom taught her. The recipe was certainly a hit with her Drifloon companion, who would sometimes tease her by saying how he's going to open a store selling the stuff. Though that did sound like a good idea, she'd rather keep the cocoa excluded on special occasions.

Finishing the making of her hot cocoa, she carefully pours some in a cup and is starting to gather some marshmallows with a knock comes to the door. Blinking, she places the marshmallows on the table before hurrying to the door. Opening it, she is immediately greeted with an eager purr and an enthusiastic cuddle.

"Kowai?" she exclaims in surprise even as she giggles at the tickling licks the husk is giving her cheek. "What're you doing here? I thought you were with your brother."

For a split-second, she wonders if there was another confrontation between the two and she discards the notion immediately, given Kowai's obviously happy state of mind. Her confusion is eventually eased as the husk pulls away to coo.

"I was," it answers. "But then brother says it's time to go to work."

"Is it that time of month already?" Yams asks, blinking and wishing she had a calender ready to look at. But a calender isn't needed as Kowai bobs up and down, almost in a nod, and she feels a smile grow on her face as it twirls happily.

"Mm-hm," it hums. "And I was wondering, since we're both working the same stuff, that you'd like to come with us!"

"Oh," Yams starts, her smile wanting to falter, but unable to at Kowai's show of ecstatic delight. She glances back at the cocoa and then at the hall containing Luft's room before looking back to the husk. "You know that I'd love to, Kowai, but I don't think now's a good time." She feels her heart almost break at the crestfallen whimpers she receives in response. "I'm sorry, but even if that wasn't the case, I'm a Rescuer and you're a Rogue."

"But brother said there're some Tasks that anyone of any Guild can do," Kowai states, still whimpering. "We can do those together!"

"That's very sweet of you, really," Yams says, coming closer to hug it soothingly, earning a strange combination of sorrowful whines and pleasured purrs. "At any other time, I'd go with you, but I'm a little caught up here. I'm making cocoa and Luft needs me and-"

"Go with him!" Luft calls from his room desperately, obviously overhearing the whole thing. "Please!"

She blinks at this out-of-nowhere 'encouragement' and she casts another glance in the room's direction. "Hold on a second Kowai." she tells the husk, gesturing for it to stay where it is before floating over to Luft's room. She sees the Drifloon watching her, that pleading spark back in his eyes. "Luft, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," the balloon replies quickly. "I just don't want you to disappoint Kowai, is all."

"But you're hurt, and I need to stay here with you." she tells him, surprised when the other ghosts insists further.

"I'm fine, really," He glances at the patch held to his body. "I'm practically treated already, and I'm just going to spend the day sleeping anyway," He looks back at her, growing a bit more genuine as he smiles a bit. "Don't let me ruin your fun, Yams. Go with him. I'll be fine."

Yams hesitates, fiddling with her hands a bit as she feels herself get torn. She doesn't want to upset Kowai nor deny Luft's request, but also she doesn't want to leave him alone. Is she being silly? "I..." She trails off a bit before muttering. "But we're a team, Luft. I can't do these missions without you."

"Sure you can," Luft tells her. "Just think of it as me taking a vacation..." He hides a wince as he shifts. "Go on ahead. Please, don't keep Kowai waiting." _For our own good, Yams_, he wants to add but refrains from doing so. Yams pauses again, still looking indecisive before sighing.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she asks.

"Yeah," Luft says, hoping it'll be true. "Just keep Kowai busy and away from here, and I'll be right as rain!"

Yams almost gives a giggle at his joking tone before finally relenting with a nod. "Okay, I will go." She floats off into the kitchen, giving a smile and nod at the waiting husk and instantly getting the Shedinja to purr happily once again. Finishing up the cup of cocoa, she delivers it to her friend and, after another moment of convincing herself that everything will be okay, she leaves with Kowai...


	19. Chapter 19: Tasks

**Author's Comment: **Ah, feels good to be back on the normal submission schedule. I don't really have too much to say, except that I had quite a bit of fun writing out this chapter and... WHOA! 50 reviews! I never thought I'd ever gather up that much! So, as usual, I'd like to thank those reviewers for their awesomeness and give shout-outs to the previous reviewers: **Miaomii** and **Thewinkingme**!

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Chapter 19: Tasks

"Brother!" Kowai calls out as it floats eagerly towards its brother, Yams struggling to keep up with the hyperactive husk. But the regarded Ninjask barely gives it a glance as he seems rather absorbed in the debate he appears to be having with Gunpowder just outside Spinda Cafe. Yams fiddles with her hands a bit, a little nervous with this argument with the dragon, although Kowai seems rather used to it as it waits patiently for its brother's attention. The Yamask personally didn't think she would have the gall to argue with her own boss as she rather likes her job, but like the husk, she stays out of it...

"Honestly, this is getting old!" Sokudo snarls. "Pick a spot for the fuckin' Task Board and keep it there, damn it!"

"I already told ye, Sokudo," Gunpowder rolls his eyes, crossing his fin-like arms. "I ain't got nothin' to do with it!"

"Whatever!" the Ninjask presses skeptically. "Just tell me where the fuck it is this time!"

"By the fountain, matey," the dragon tells him to get rid of him. He seems about to say more when Sokudo rudely turns away and flies towards the fountain at the center of the town. Kowai follows cheerfully, unaffected by the heavy atmosphere, and Yams sighs before offering a friendly wave to the Rogue leader before following after the bugs.

Arriving to the board, Sokudo scans it with irritated eyes before glancing at his brother. However, he also does a double-take upon seeing Yams and he scowls.

"The fuck you doing here?" he snaps and Yams hesitates, not so much because of his bad attitude as she understands he's in a foul mood, but rather the question itself. Seems Kowai didn't even ask permission first. She clears her throat a bit, not particularly eager to be the next target of the Ninjask's aggression.

"Um... Kowai came over and-"

"She's coming with us, brother!" the Shedinja interjects with a purr. It coos as it looks back and forth between them, its feeling of glee still strong as it cuddles tightly to Yams, giving her cheek a few loving licks. But all that cheerfulness soon changes as Sokudo looks more than a little displeased to hear this.

"Bullshit, she is," He glares at the Yamask. "No offense, Yams, but I don't need your help to do my own job, so fuck off!"

"Brother!" Kowai whines, whimpering as it tries to appease its brother's anger, pulling away from the other ghost to beg its sibling. "I want her to come with us! Please!"

Taking a breath with a frustrated groan, Sokudo shakes his head, rubbing his face with a claw. Today was just one of those days where nothing goes right for him and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Turning his eyes back to his brother, he tries to keep his voice calm. "Kowai, I don't mind Yams hanging around with us on our free time, but NOT on the job! She has her own team AND she's a Rescuer! All she'll do is get in our way with her morals and shit!"

"Uh, I think I should be offended..." Yams mutters before adding her two cents. "Come on, Sokudo. I know you're in a bad mood, but I think doing a Task together would be good, especially for Kowai."

She casts a very quick glance at the Shedinja, trying to hint the Ninjask into getting the point of her involvement. Luckily, the cicada isn't too blinded with agitation and he sighs in resignation.

"Fine, whatever," he grumbles. "The day can't possible get much worse anyway..." He continues rambling to himself as he turns back to the board, focusing his eyes on the papers under the 'Whoever' banner. "Alright, we got some shit ones here. Helping that fuckin' Banette, Gnasher, with his stupid fashion designer shit. We ain't wasting our time with that one."

Yams holds her tongue, not used to discarding missions so easily based on their importance. She and Luft always tried their best to get everything done regardless. But she isn't in charge here and she keeps her ears open as Sokudo continues.

"The Patrat Patrol wants us to deliver a letter to Gunpowder about owing some money," He smirks and rips a copy of the Task off the board. "We're doing that one just to piss that fuckin' pirate-wannabe off." He returns to looking over the potential jobs. "Something about Master Shao wanting to see some specific moves that drains energy, confuses, or paralyzes," He hesitates a bit, looking over the desired requirements again before shaking his head. "Kowai and I ain't got no attacks that do that."

He glances at Yams and she shakes her head in a negative.

"Alright, then that leaves one more," He skims over it before snickering and ripping it off.

"What's that one?" Kowai asks curiously, wondering what peaked its brother's mood.

"We're gonna be digging up some treasures just outside of the village!" he answers, stuffing the papers into his item bag. "And the reward is part of that treasure! So let's not waste any time, fuckers." He pulls out a long black scarf from the bag and turns to Kowai. The Shedinja purrs eagerly as it allows its sibling to tie one end of it around its body. Yams is a bit confused by this until Sokudo turns to her.

"Hold on tight to Kowai, 'cause I ain't slowing down for anyone or anything," he tells her and Yams quickly understands. Gulping a bit as her tail holds her mask protectively close to her body, she hesitantly reaches out and hugs the Shedinja, who purrs even louder. Seeing that they're ready, or as ready as they can be in Yams' case, he takes the other end of the scarf and takes off at top speed.

"WHEEEEEEEEE!" Kowai goes the whole way, providing a stark contrast to Yams' panicked screams. She can barely hold on herself and it is only with the help of Kowai's black mist that she doesn't topple off completely. And when they come to a sudden halt, she looks practically traumatized, her eyes wide and her hands having a death grip on Kowai. Glancing back at them, Sokudo snickers at her before looking about. This should be the spot specified on the board. Buzzing further from Tao Village's boundaries and into the forest, he and his companions soon arrive to a clearing where a Sigilyph floats next to a Diglett.

"Hey!" Sokudo calls out, getting the two's attention. "You bitches the one's we're looking for?" He pulls out the task paper and glances over it. "Uh... Ore and... What the fuck kinda name is 'Nugget'?!"

"That would be me!" The Diglett pipes before burrowing into the ground and popping up by the trio. "Are you three here to help us get the buried treasure?"

"Yes," Yams mutters softly, Kowai nuzzling her as she's still trying to recover from the unpleasant flight.

"Damn straight we are!" Sokudo also replies more full-heartedly. "Now where is it, so I get my claws on it!"

"Well," Ore starts, looking down at a patch of dirt below her. "Nugget was tunneling when he found it. But he says it's too heavy to pull out of the earth even if we dig it out, so-"

"It's right here?" Sokudo interrupts, appearing by the Psychic Pokemon and effectively getting a startle out of her.

"Um, yes and-" The archaeologist can say nothing further as Sokudo used his Dig move to dive into the earth and spray dirt all over the place. Ore and Nugget both blink as Yams and Kowai hurry over to the resultant hole.

"Brother!" Kowai calls down, its word echoing. The hole is getting surprisingly deep, where the darkness hid the Ninjask's dark body. Only the occasional flash of his golden patterns reveals his location. Sokudo keeps digging with as much efficiency that he once had as a Nincada, his burrowing skills still sharp as if he's never left his subterranean life. And it pays off when he feels his claw hit something solid that isn't a rock. Snickering, he proceeds in digging around the chest until it's free of the earth's hold before calling up to the others.

"I got it! Kowai, Yams! Help me out!" He stiffens a bit as the chest takes on a blue aura and he figures Yams must have the move Psychic. Perfect. Locking his claws on one of the chest's handles, he helps lighten the load as Kowai's black mist slithers over and takes the other end.

Together, the trio haul the heavy chest out of the earth, the wooden container making a heavy _thump _as it hits open ground. Panting, Sokudo shakes the dirt off his body and starts to groom as Yams, Nugget, and Ore surround the chest. Kowai floats over to its brother and tries to help him groom, only to get pushed away. The rejection doesn't really matter anyway as Sokudo doesn't bother finishing his self-cleaning and instead flies to the treasure with continued enthusiasm as the two archaeologist analyze the chest.

"The markings on this chest is truly remarkable and-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Just open the damn thing!" Sokudo demands, Yams shaking her head at the Ninjask's greedy behavior as Ore and Nugget exchange glances before shrugging. Looking to the lock, they quietly whisper a debate on how to open it without damaging it when Sokudo rolls his eyes and helps himself. His claws glowing red in Fury Cutter, he slashes at the lock, which falls into two neat pieces, much to the horror of the scientist.

"A priceless piece of archaeological history has just been ruined!" Ore exclaims, Nugget glaring at the Ninjask who merely waves them off.

"Oh the poor chest. This is pure unadulterated horror, boo-hoo, woe is me, all that shit," Sokudo mutters in sarcastic mockery before pushing the chest open. And his eyes immediately widens and glistens as he sees the bounty of gold coins that greets him.

"Shiny!" Kowai exclaims, flying over next to its brother as its mist explores the treasure, naive to its value but liking its sparkle. Yams watches the two carefully, having a feeling as to what to expect. She wants so much to reprimand Sokudo's rash behavior, but she knows it's not her place with him as leader. So she can only stay back as the Ninjask begins scooping clawfuls into his bag.

"Hey!" Nugget exclaims. "You can't take all that!"

"Ah ah ah," Sokudo chimes in with a smirk, only giving the two a glance. "You said we can have some of the treasure."

"Yeah, _some_," Ore tells him. "But you can't take that much! We still have to study it and send it to museums all over the world and-"

"Oh, fuck off," Sokudo interrupts, some of his irritation coming back. He turns to Kowai and grabs its scarf, gesturing for Yams to hold on again. The Yamask is hesitant, this time about the treasure hoarding.

"Um, Sokudo, I really think you should at least-"

"Shuddup, and grab on," Sokudo tells her before Ore moves in front of him as sternly as she could.

"Hold on there!" she starts. "You can't just go and steal ou- Hey!"

And the trio is gone without a trace of their once being there. The two Pokemon only stare dumbfounded at the spot before looking at each other, then at their noticeably emptier discovery. Then they both sigh, knowing they'll be having a lot of explaining to do with their superior...

* * *

"And we are done, ladies and freaks," Sokudo grunts as he removes the scarf from his brother, who whimpers at his use of words. Catching his slip, Sokudo says nothing for a moment before muttering. "Sorry, it's a habit." Kowai stops its whimpers at this almost immediately and resumes its cheerful state-of-mind, obviously forgiving its sibling's mistake.

Meanwhile, Yams is shivering a bit as she hugs her mask, still not used to Sokudo's method of transportation. Is a Yamask even meant to go that fast? Maybe she should see the doctors, just in case this will have some kind of negative effect. But as Sokudo puts the scarf away, the golden gleam from his item bag snaps her out of her daze and she fiddles her hands again. "Sokudo, don't you think you took too much from them?" she starts. "I really don't feel right about it..."

Rolling his eyes, Sokudo blatantly brushes her words off with a wave of his claw. "Don't worry, I'm putting it all in my savings."

"That's not what I-"

"Come on," Sokudo interrupts as if she isn't speaking at all. "Let's get this letter to Gunpowder so we can get it all done and over with." He glances at Yams. "We'll also tell him to give your team some points for helping and whatever."

Yams sighs, knowing she's not going to get anything done with the Ninjask when he isn't even listening to her. Trying to settle the guilty feeling within her head, she follows the two to the Rogue's Headquarters and busies herself comforting Kowai and its apparent unease with the building. Getting inside quickly, they head to Gunpowder's office and Sokudo smirks as he holds the letter right in the dragon's face.

"What's this, matey?" the Gabite asks, blinking at the neat little envelope as the Ninjask drops it onto his paperwork.

"A letter from the Patrat Patrol," he answers, reveling in the dragon's subsequent look of displeasure. "You owe them money, and no, I'm not going to share any of my treasure to get you out of it."

Gunpowder glares at the ninja before grumbling as his sharp gaze lowers down at the letter. Stupid Patrats and their stupid need for money. Who's paying them to complain anyway? He is apparently and he glances about before whispering to his employee. "Sokudo, matey, how 'bout me give you two extra gold doubloons if ye do me a favor."

"What kind of favor?" the Ninjask asks with acute interest, knowing there's serious stuff to be gained if Gunpowder's making a request of him like this.

"I need you and yer brother to... 'take out the trash' with one of them pesky Patrats and-"

"Gunpowder!" Yams exclaims, apparently overhearing. The Rogue leader scowls at the Rescuer in his office before snorting and returning his attention to Sokudo.

"Fine, how 'bout ye just get rid of this here letter, say it was an accident."

"Gunpowder!" Yams again objects.

"Deal." the cicada accepts.

"Sokudo!" she continues before shaking her head and casting a very brief glance at Kowai as it explores the office, making sure it isn't causing trouble before turning back to the others to finally give that moral lecture she's been holding back all day. Meanwhile, Kowai ignores this as it rarely ever gets the chance to explore in here, Sokudo always sending it off to do something else. So it has to take advantage while it can! Literally sticking its nose into every nook and cranny, it purrs and coos as it passes by some unimportant boards and-

It freezes, staring at a heart-shaped board with various pictures and words. One of those pictures looks very familiar, almost like it's looking at a reflection of itself, only without the corresponding movement. Examining it closer, it feels its purrs come to a slow halt before its voice shakily speaks up loud enough to interrupt the conversation between the other three Pokemon.

"Brother? ...What's this...?"


	20. Chapter 20: Revealed

**Author's Comment: **Whoa, surge of attention, I'm lovin' it! XD I guess that means I left a good enough cliffhanger, but I can't keep you guys in suspense for too long! So please enjoy this chapter ;) As usual, I give my oh-so-special thanks to the following reviewers for their awesomeness: **destinedjagold,** **Miaomii, Psychotic Ralts,** **Thewinkingme, **and **Lectro Underground **(lucky I caught you, I was about to submit this chapter when you reviewed XD )!

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Chapter 20: Revealed

For a long moment, Sokudo had no idea what to do...

When he heard Kowai's question, he wasn't even going to give it any attention other than a dismissive glance. But his heart stopped when he saw what it's floating in front of: the Dating Board, looking directly at the application he put up. So many thoughts zipped through his head right then and there, rendering him frozen to the extent that even his wings stopped beating and he barely manages to land on his claws. This will be the end of his life, he's sure of it...

Snapping out of it with a violent shake of his head, he takes off towards his brother and tries to pull it away from the board, although he knows it's too late to act. "Get away from there, Kowai!"

But the Shedinja isn't going anywhere, tearing the application off the board as it continues to stare at it. The Ninjask tries desperately to snatch it away from his brother, but instead he finds himself in the grip of black mist, holding him back and keeping his claws firmly pinned to his body. He struggles against it, his wide horrified eyes not leaving that piece of paper for even a second.

"Kowai! Put it down! NOW!"

"This..." Kowai starts, its voice soft. "You... This whole thing... it..." It reads and rereads the first few sentences of Sokudo's words, not paying any attention to the Ninjask's thrashes before it starts quoting some of it out loud, as if trying to make sense of it. "'_I'm trying to get rid of my brother and this seems like a subtle way to do it without breaking our agreements... Just don't tell it that I'm behind all this... It'll kill me if it finds out this is some plot to get it out of my life...'_"

"Yams! Stop it!" Sokudo shouts out to the Yamask, who also finds herself frozen, staring at the Shedinja with an indescribable feeling in her chest. It's almost like her heart is breaking to pieces, only more painful. And it only gets worse when Kowai looks to her, its voice shaking along with its body. Strong whimpers begin to emerge from it, as it continues to quote a single detail it's having the most trouble grasping.

"'_You... You d-don't even have to t-truly like it... just pr... **pretend** for a while...'_" Its choking cries begin to rise up, its eyes never leaving the Yamask as the entire situation slowly begins to sink in. "You... You lied to me... Y... You were faking it... the whole time..."

"Kowai..." Yams feels her own voice snatch in her throat and she doesn't know what to say, what to do. Gathering up every bit of her strength, she decides that the best thing she can do is explain the whole thing. "Kowai, it's not what you think... I... I wasn't pretending... I... I really do-"

"HOW COULD YOU?!" The Shedinja screeches, finally freeing its brother by throwing him aside. The Ninjask stumbles mid-air before catching himself, turning to face the Shedinja as he doesn't want to be caught off guard, even though the husk seems focused on the Yamask for the moment. "HOW COULD YOU LIE TO ME LIKE THIS?! I THOUGHT YOU CARED! I THOUGHT YOU REALLY LOVED ME! I GAVE YOU A CHANCE AND EVERYTHING!" Its words catches, reducing its next sentence in a mere, agonized mutter. "We even cuddled..."

Yams feels tears beginning to flood from her eyes and her breath hitches as she tries again to explain. "Please, just let me... I-"

But she can say no further as the Shedinja lets out a piercing shriek, its sorrow easily discernible within its growing rage. Both Yams and Sokudo cringe, and even Gunpowder can't help but flinch. The Rogue leader knows he's in the middle of a very bad situation, and he tries to fix this in the best way he knows how...

"Take this outside, mateys!" he demands. "Me can't be havin' yer brother-"

"BE QUIET!" Kowai shrieks at the dragon, paying him no further mind as it turns its shaking body to Sokudo, its next words pouring out faster than it can even think. "And you lied to me too! You said this would be fun, brother! But this ISN'T fun anymore! This is the worst pain I've ever been through!" Kowai lets out another eardrum bursting screech. "AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF **YOU**!" It can hardly stay airborne from how much it's shuddering. Sokudo swallows, trying to keep his panic under control as best he can as he tries to talk his way out of this.

"Kowai, I-"

"No! SHUT UP!" Kowai interrupts with rage and grief. "I'm done with you, you FUCKIN' NINJASK! You're not worth it! All you've done is cause me pain over and over again! I'm done with it! I'm done with your BULLSHIT! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" At this point it seems to shout at the air. "I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I'LL TAKE THE PUNISHMENT! THIS WORLD ISN'T WORTH IT!"

It turns back to Sokudo and Yams, somehow managing to snarl and whimper at the same time, and the others were certain the Shedinja would be sobbing if it could. "And you two... You have to pay for what you've done to me! Lying to me, playing with me like that. All to get RID OF ME!" It again turns to Sokudo. "Why? Why do you keep doing this to me? I-I thought we were..." It doesn't bother finishing before looking to Yams. "And you... You were toying with me all along! You never loved me! NONE OF YOU EVER LOVED ME!"

It makes a soft choking sound, another shudder causing it to drop a few feet before catching itself. After a moment, Yams tries again to speak up, almost blinded by her own tears at this point.

"That's not true, Kowai. I-"

"I SAID **SHUT UP**!" Kowai shrieks before breaking into more whines and whimpers. "Shut up... No more... No more talking. This is over..." After a bit of falling still and quiet, Kowai begins to mutter again, unnaturally calm given its distressed state. "You want to get away from me so badly, Sokudo? Fine. I'll make it happen. I'll make it so you'll never have to see me again, see _anything_ again."

Its black mist begins to writhe and a Shadow Ball forms in front of it. Sokudo can very easily guess where this is going and he does the only thing he can think of and lunges with an Aerial Ace. But instead he collides into the invisible barrier of Protect, falling back to the ground with a grunt, Yams immediately darting to his side to help, although she can stay focused only on the enraged husk. Groaning a bit as he rubs his head, Sokudo jolts as he looks back up to Kowai.

"No, no, no, 'brother'..." Kowai whispers darkly, swaying a bit from side to side. "Don't you remember? You said I can hurt you, I can hurt you if I found it all to be a big waste of time..." Finally, its whimpers come to a gradual stop, replaced completely with the snarls. "And this was more than a waste of time, more than you can ever imagine. So, allow me to... _proportionalize_ your punishment. _Both_ your punishments. _Death_."

"Shit..." Sokudo hisses, finding himself unable to look away as the Shadow Ball grows considerably in size. He catches Gunpowder wisely making a run for it and he knows that if they're hit with that, it'll vaporize them from existence. But why can't he fly away? Why is Yams not flying away? And... And why is Kowai hesitating...?

The Shedinja begins shuddering again, its growls becoming more strained before morphing into a frustrated shrill cry. "WHY CAN'T I HURT YOU!?" Screaming, it slashes through the Shadow Ball, disintegrating it before it turns away and smashes right through a window as it flies off, its mournful screams fading into the distance. Sokudo and Yams are frozen as they stare in the direction the shed dashed off to and the Ninjask manages to clear his throat in an attempt to hide his terror. Trying to calm his racing heart, Sokudo wastes no more time before checking the contents of his bag, making sure he has enough supplies.

With the established, Sokudo says not a word before he begins to fly off towards the exit opposite of where his brother retreated. Yams' eyes widens as she watches him leave, casting a glance towards the vanished shed's route of retreat. Gathering her wits, she dashes to the Ninjask and calls out in a desperate voice. "Sokudo, where're you going?!"

"Far away from here," he answers without even a backwards glance. "What does it look like?"

"But... You... you can't just leave him!" Yams exclaims, earning a sudden halt and a look of utter disbelief from the Ninjask.

"Are you serious, Yams?" he starts. "Did you see what Kowai was about to do to us? I have to get out of here while I still can, before that insane little demon comes back to finish the job!"

"I can't believe you," Yams mutters, her eyes still wide. "After those promises you made, you're abandoning him?!"

"I'm saving my own skin!" Sokudo growls. "If you're stupid enough to go after it, then be my guest! But I'm not going to give up my life so easily!"

"He needs you, Sokudo!" Yams retorts, her angered eyes beginning to fill with tears once more. "We hurt him, a LOT! And now he's run off, and needs someone to be there to help him! And YOU'RE the one who can do that!"

"Why me?!" Sokudo barks, before pointing a claw at her. "You're its girlfriend!"

"And you're his brother!" Yams shoots back, before her voice and eyes soften. "If he needs anyone, if he _loves_ someone more than anything else in this world, it's _you_." She sighs a bit. "I'm just second place. You talk to him, you explain this, fix this. Then that'll give me the foundation to rebuild my trust with him. But you need to make that first step."

Sokudo snorts at her before his eyes dart to the direction of his house, the direction Kowai went. He doesn't want to do any of that. He just wants to run away to find someplace safe to live out the rest of his days. But he did make a promise and his honor did refuse to let him break a promise...

Giving a grumble, he roughly pushes past Yams and flies through the broken window to follow after his brother.

* * *

Sorrowful cries echo through the house as Sokudo carefully flies inside, ready to retreat at full speed on an instant's notice. But casting his gaze around, he sees nothing in the living room, although it looks disastrous. Seems the Shedinja tried to take its anger out on his personal possessions... Taking a breath to keep himself calm, he forces himself even deeper into the home, following the sobs. This is stupid, going after the husk. Every instinct of self-preservation is telling him to run, so why isn't he?

Bloody Yamask and her good-for-nothing morals...

Continuing to follow the crying noises, he is led right to a closed door, his room. He feels a spark of territorial indignation and he struggles to keep his voice calm as he knocks a bit. "Kowai?"

"GO AWAY!" comes a responding screech that almost breaks his resolve completely. But he holds firm as he glares at the door, taking confidence in the fact that he's not dead yet.

"I live here, so I ain't going anywhere!" he barks back before knocking even harder. "Let me in!"

"FUCK OFF!"

Growling, Sokudo snorts before glancing about and flying off, knowing just what to do in this situation.

Kowai doesn't bother trying to keep tabs on where its brother's going, crying and shuddering in a corner of the bed, huddling tightly against the wall. It can't stop its pain, no matter how many souls it stole on the way back here. That usual-pleasure was vastly overshadowed by the pain it's going through. It's more than willing to stay here and mourn over this for all eternity, but it is forced to stop when it hears a buzz inside the room.

Snapping towards the noise, it sees its brother glaring at it from the other side of the room. But the door is still locked and closed, how-

"HOW'D YOU GET IN HERE?!" Kowai shrieks, ignoring the knowledge that it itself has pulled off such feats many times in the past and so this shouldn't have been as much of a surprise as it was. Sokudo visibly cringes at the outburst, but he forces himself to stand his ground.

"I'm a ninja, dumbass," he tells it. "A locked door isn't an obstacle, especially for my own room."

"Well, g-get out!" Kowai snarls shakily, getting its shuddering body into the air to intimidate its sibling. But Sokudo isn't moved as he crosses his arms, speaking as calmly as he can.

"No," he states firmly. "I..." He takes a deep breath, preparing himself for this. "I need to talk to you, about what happened..."

"I don't want to talk," Kowai whispers, its whimpers almost drowning out its words. "I'm done hearing your words... They only cause me pain..."

"Look," Sokudo whispers, closing his eyes to force himself through his next few words. "I'm... I'm sorry... for-"

"No," Kowai interrupts, turning away a bit. "No, you're not..." It shudders so much that it's forced to lean against a wall, sinking onto the bed. "Just leave... I don't want to talk to you..."

The two bugs don't say anything for a while, Kowai's crying and Sokudo's beating wings being the only thing keeping the silence from being total. Taking another breath, Sokudo turns his gaze away, knowing what he can do to get the husk to listen to him. He doesn't like it, but it's a tried-and-true method that needs to be done. Flying closer to the husk, he lands by it and presses himself into its side in a cuddle...

Kowai immediately pulls away, whimpering louder even as it tries to force out a hiss. "I don't want to cuddle with you..."

But Sokudo merely snorts and, not taking 'no' for an answer, he shifts closer and again pushes his body against it. Kowai hesitates for a second before flying off. But it can't go far before Sokudo pursues it, insisting on the cuddles even as Kowai pulls away, its whines growing more distressed and desperate with each failed attempt to avoid its brother. Eventually, Sokudo manages to trap the husk into a corner and he clasps onto it so he can cuddle, Kowai trying in vain to wriggle free.

"No!" Kowai objects. "Stop it! I don't... want... c... cuddles..." It trails off, finding its will to fight evaporating with the prolonged contact. Its whimpers dying off just a bit, it can no longer reject its brother's advances and cuddles back into him, its body's shudders beginning anew. "I... don't understand... I... I should hate you, hurt you... but... I can't..."

Sokudo doesn't respond for a bit, letting it snuggle and nuzzle into him to its heart's content, knowing that it needs it now more than ever. When he does speak, his tone is soft and somber. "I've been an asshole, even by my own standards..." He sighs, still clinging to the husk in case it'll try to make a break for it. "Playing you like that... There were better ways, but... I guess I wasn't thinking it through..."

"You hurt me, brother..." it whimpers. "You hurt me a lot..."

"I know..." the Ninjask replies almost inaudibly.

"And I don't know how to make it go away..." Kowai continues, making more of its choking cries before calming down a bit. "Why did you do this...?"

"You know why," Sokudo tells it in a toneless voice.

"No," Kowai squeaks, another shudder passing through its body. "I mean... Why did you have to be so cruel about it...?"

"I..." Sokudo trails off for a moment, realizing that the normally brutal Kowai is calling him cruel. This Shedinja's been responsible for so many deaths... Yet, it's deeming this type of pain as cruelty. Well, he supposed playing with one's emotions is a greater torment than the quick death Kowai usually offers its victims... Taking another breath, he continues on. "I guess I didn't expect it to go this far... I honestly never thought about how you felt, how you would actually get attached and grow feelings and... y'know... love. I guess I didn't think it was possible..."

He remembers the first day he got this idea, asking Gunpowder if Shedinja can feel romantic attachments. Well, now he got his answer; too bad it had to end this way. "I guess it is cruel..." he acknowledges verbally. "Having your first love end like this... I'm sorry, and I mean it."

Kowai doesn't respond, choosing instead to nuzzle tighter to its brother. After a long moment of silence, the Shedinja finally speaks up shakily. "I'm so confused... So many feelings, so much hurt... I've never felt like this before... and I don't like it... How do I make it stop...?"

"I don't know," Sokudo answers truthfully after a long moment, not used to this kind of conversation, but going along with it regardless. "I've never been in this situation, but... But I guess there's nothing much you can do..."

"Nothing...?" It sounds even worse now and it gives another choked cry. "So I'm to suffer from this forever..."

"Well," Sokudo feels his words snag a bit before clearing his throat. "I'm sure it'll go away on its own... Time heals and all that shit..."

A moment of silence comes between them, the Shedinja's crying and shuddering eventually starting to ease off. And still Sokudo refuses to let it go, not wanting to risk losing the husk's cooperation as he knows it's the cuddles that's keeping it relatively calm. And calm it remains as it mutters its next words incredibly softly.

"I love you, brother... I shouldn't, but I do."

"Yeah, I know..." He says nothing more, and he begins to feel an air of expectation from his shed. Knowing what it wants, he sighs and gathers his thoughts for a bit. "I still don't love you, Kowai. I don't even like you..." He hears a soft whimper from it and he gives it a soft cuff on the muzzle to silence it. "But I do feel sorry for you... And that's a start, I guess..."

Kowai looks at him for a long moment before giving a shaky purr, pushing its head against its brother's chin. Sokudo knows what it is asking for with this gesture and he grimaces in disgust. But he pushes aside those feelings as he figures it's the least he can do to help mend the wounds he created...

He grooms the little shed.


	21. Chapter 21: Another Chance?

**Author's Comment: **Had some more difficulties with this chapter, mostly for how to end it. Yes, this is the last chapter of this story, but worry not as these cast of characters will continue on in the next installments of the _Sokudo and Kowai_ series. Thank you guys so much for the support throughout this story, as I doubt I would've gone far without you! I hope you guys continue to stay with me for further adventures with our ninja bug duo! Special thanks goes to: **Miaomii, Psychotic Ralts,** **Thewinkingme, **and **ASiriusWriter**!

* * *

Chapter 21: Another Chance?

There's a definite chill in the air now. Although things have been fixed between them, Sokudo can tell that the husk is still angry at him. With the cuddles no longer sedating it, it has secluded itself in the kitchen and hasn't really talked to him since. Usually, he would enjoy the peace and quiet, but this felt... different, unpleasant. He reassures himself that the husk just needs a bit more time to recover from this trauma before returning back to normal and at least it isn't attacking him in the meanwhile.

Curled up on his bed, he keeps his guard up just in case, not feeling tired in the least despite the approaching late hour. The Ninjask rarely feels guilt for such a prolonged period of time and he shifts a bit in discomfort, not sure how to deal with it. He can hear the Shedinja muttering to itself from the kitchen, and occasionally breaking out into more cries. Every now and then, the husk would halt those cries to let out a mournful shriek as if trying to communicate its distress to the rest of the world. He's sure the thing is just trying to guilt trip him now, and it's working.

But eventually, the Shedinja goes silent, and Sokudo keeps his eyes on the door warily. He still doesn't trust that he's off the hook so easily, although that can just be his own paranoia. Surely if Kowai is going to hurt him, it would've done so by now. Or maybe it's just waiting for him to be vulnerable...

A soft knock comes to the door and he keeps in a sigh, knowing who it is right off the bat. Sitting up a bit, he hears Kowai restarting its activity and it speaks up to him for the first time in hours. "Brother, someone's at the door. Can I eat them?"

"No," Sokudo makes no hesitation in saying, flying off his bed and out of his room. He glances at Kowai as he passes the kitchen, the Shedinja staring back at him unfalteringly. The Ninjask ignores the chill running down his body as he approaches the door and opens it. Floating there is Yams, the little ghost's sad eyes meeting his with a spark of hope, holding something he can't quite make out as she hides it behind her back. Sokudo glances over his shoulder at the kitchen before whispering. "It's still feeling the sting, but it forgave me, so..." He shrugs. "Maybe it'll forgive you too?"

Yams only nods, and she takes a deep breath as Sokudo turns away.

"Kowai! Come here real quick!" he calls out, automatically expecting its voice to respond. But there is only silence as the Shedinja flies out of the kitchen and floats towards the door, Sokudo quickly moving out of its way. Seeing Yams, Kowai says and does nothing, just staring at her. Clearing her throat, Yams hugs her mask a bit before she speaks up as softly and gently as she can.

"Hello, Kowai," she mutters. "I... I just want to apologize for what happened. I didn't... mean..." She trails off, a little unnerved that she isn't getting any reaction from the husk. Kowai remains unresponsive like this for another minute before a soft hiss begins to emerge from it, said hiss very quickly escalating into a shriek. Yams cringes and barely manages to dash off when Kowai lunges to bite her.

"Kowai!" Sokudo reprimands, only to be ignored as the Shedinja chases the Yamask away until they're several yards from the door.

"GO AWAY!" comes an enraged screech, the underlying tones of sorrow barely discernible. "**MY** TERRITORY!"

Yams turns back to it, tears beginning to form in her eyes at this rejection. It's worse than a rejection, she feels. Kowai is treating her just like a stranger, as if it's never seen her before, and that hurts her more than anything. Choking on her breath as she whimpers, she tries to keep her voice steady. "Kowai... Don't you remember me...?" It is a very silly thing to ask, but she can't help it. And it certainly doesn't put her in a better position as the Shedinja growls savagely at her.

"Of course I remember you, you wretched female!" it barks sharply. "How can I forget the betrayal?! Forget the pain YOU caused me?!"

Taking another shaky breath, Yams tries to keep from breaking down completely, hiccuping softly. "I... I'm s-sorry..."

"I'm sure you are," Kowai hisses skeptically, turning away to float back to the house.

"Kowai... please... I... Just let me explain..." she implores, slowly inching after it. Kowai glances back at her before snarling and lunging for her again, Yams jerking back quickly enough to miss a Shadow Claw by a mere centimeter. Hissing at her in warning, it refuses to let her come any closer to the house. Floating close to the ground, Yams tries her hardest to appeal to the shed. "Please... Just... please..."

"You don't need to explain anything, girl," Kowai grunts, its hostility not melting away in the slightest despite her display. "As far as I'm concerned, _everything_ that comes out of that mouth is a _lie_."

Yams feels the stab of those words physically within the depths of her chest, and she begins to sob almost uncontrollably. "I'm... I... Please..." She doesn't know what else to say to that, how she can get the Shedinja to hear her out. Thoughts come and go in her mind to try to help, and she decides to just go for it. "I'm n-not lying... Please... You have to believe me..." It doesn't seem to be working as Kowai again turns away and starts floating back to the house. She can't keep herself from shaking at this, only managing a whisper that is barely audible. "I l-love you..."

At this, the husk stops, its growls falling quiet. Glancing at her over its shoulder, it gives out a snort before responding in a toneless voice. "Why should I believe you? I recall you saying that to me before, and look where it got us now..."

"Kowai," Yams hiccups, wiping her face although it does no good in ridding the tears. "You have t-to believe me... I came back here, knowing you'll probably hurt me, b-but doing so anyways... That has to mean something to you..."

Silence comes over them for a few minutes before Kowai turns to her, glaring down at her before whispering darkly. "No, it doesn't. You had your chance with me, and for a while you had me fooled..." The Shedinja trails off, beginning to whimper softly. "But I'm not so stupid anymore... and I'm not falling for it again..."

"Kowai," Yams takes the opportunity to interject. "I..." She sniffles and again wipes her face. "Please listen to me: I-I wasn't..." She sighs. "I really did like you, and yes, I did grow to love you, genuinely love you. Even now, I..." She coughs a bit, forcing herself to push on through her tears. "I was wrong, taking this whole thing as a job to help Sokudo... But the more time I spent with you, the more I realized just _how_ wrong I was. That's why I helped you settle that fight with him, that's why I let you stay with me. Because I cared about you, I loved you... And despite what it looks like, I lost all intentions of driving you and Sokudo apart, very early on in our relationship..." She holds her mask close to her, her eyes glistening with tears as she looks at it pleadingly. "And if you'll just give me another chance... I'll prove to you that it's for real... Please..."

More silence fills the atmosphere, the Shedinja beginning to shudder a bit, its growing sorrow obvious. Staring at the Yamask, it tries to figure out what its next course of action should be and after a few moments, it speaks up softly. "Tell me when... When did you actually start to love me...?"

"I..." Yams pauses for a moment, thinking back through the times they spent together to pinpoint when her fond feelings began to intensify. It is a very difficult task and she can only make a rough estimate, but she soon settles for it. "When that Mightyena hurt you... When I risked my own life to save yours... The time I spent with you at the doctors... I'm sure that's when I gave in to my feelings for you..."

"So everything before that, was just lie." Kowai presses, a faint tone of sharpness re-entering its voice. Yams chokes on her breaths and shakes her head desperately.

"No! I liked you well before that... I..."

"This whole thing was built on a lie... A lie to get rid of me, to break my bond with the _only_ Pokemon I can ever truly love..." Kowai interrupts. "Even if I'm to believe you now, believe that you're doing anything but damage control-"

"This is not damage control, Kowai, please..." Yams tells it, her voice breaking a bit with her sobs. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am... And I came with the hope that maybe we can do things properly this time..." She forces herself back into the air and inches closer, and this time, Kowai doesn't chase her off. Looking at the small object she holds in her hand, she allows a tender smile to grace her features. "And to give you this, to show how sorry I am..."

She holds out a dark purple rose, and Kowai remembers the first time she has given it a present, how unimpressed it was by the rose and its so-called symbolism. But this time, it feels different and it slowly reaches out to take the gift, staring at it.

"Please, Kowai. Let's start over... please..." she whispers, hoping with every fiber of her being that the Shedinja would believe her words to be genuine and accept her gift, her apology. The husk certainly seems to be contemplating it and she bites her lip anxiously as she waits in suspense. Finally, she gets a response...

Kowai drops the flower and turns away. "I don't want your stupid plant, Yams, and I don't want anything more to do with you. I have enough pain to deal with without your help."

Another stab goes through her heart and she feels her body shaking upon hearing this. "Kowai... please..."

"Just leave..." Kowai whispers back shakily, and she swears she hears the tone of sorrow in its voice again. "I'm not interested at the moment, so stop wasting my time, Yamask..."

"But-" Yams can't say more before Kowai savagely turns on her with a shriek and lunges for her again. She almost wanted it to hurt her, but her body's self-preservation instincts were strong enough to deny that desire and jolt away. Then she is sent into a full on retreat when Kowai presses the attack, chasing her away from the house like it would a stranger and staring after her as she disappears into the distance.

Forcing out a snort, it lowers its eyes to the ground, whimpers replacing its growls at what it had to do. It doesn't understand why it pains it so to chase her away like that, to reject her. She deserves it for hurting it so much... right? Glancing at the discarded rose on the ground, it makes a soft choke-like cry before floating off back to the house where Sokudo waits inside, perched on the window ledge.

Looking up at the Shedinja as it re-enters the house, the Ninjask is silent for a while, letting his sibling cuddle to him for a few minutes. He is thinking about making a sharp comment about its behavior, but he then notices the husk's shivering body and knows Kowai is still hurting. Taking a breath, he feels that uncomfortable pitying feeling rising in his chest again and he clears his throat.

"Y'know, Kowai," he starts softly, his wings twitching a bit. "I'm not going to rush you out of this grieving process thing, but I think that if anyone deserves a second chance, it's Yams."

"Brother, I-" the Shedinja tries to object only to be cut off.

"It was mostly my fault anyway..." Sokudo admits. "I pushed her into it, and I'll tell you first-hand that she's cared about you from the very start." He sighs, giving his shed a few more extra minutes of cuddling before opening his wings and hovering off towards his room. "Just something for you to think about, Kowai..."

Watching its sibling leave, it turns back to the still-open door and slowly floats into the warm night outside...

The purple rose sits undisturbed on the ground, its dark petals moving slightly in the wind. And then, a small delicate sliver of black mist slips around it and tenderly takes it into the house. Kowai stares at the flower, paying no heed to anything else around it like that rose is the only thing to exist in its world. After a moment, Kowai takes the plant to the collection of previous gifts neatly arranged on the shelf and it places it up front and center. Remaining silent for a long while as it continues to stare at the flower, it tenderly caresses the rose before turning and floating away.

"Stupid plant..."

THE END


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